Into The Darkness
by Nina542
Summary: When Anna decides to pay a surprise visit to Kristoff at the end of the ice harvesting season, what would have been an easy trip to Lake Amstel goes horribly wrong when she and her companion are attacked. Now up against bandits, hungry carnivores and the growing darkness, Kristoff must find his princess - dead or alive. Post-Frozen. Some minor, vague spoilers.
1. Prologue

Hello, my fellow Frozen fans! I hope you're all as excited to see Frozen as I am. The countdown is certainly on.

I've been playing around with this story in my head for some time now, and finally just started writing. I hope you enjoy.

Disclaimer: Frozen and its characters are owned by Disney, and not me. If they were owned by me, the movie would have come out by now.

* * *

In the months following what its inhabitants kindly referred to as "the Winter Incident" in July, the kingdom of Arendelle had its first real snowfall of the season on a mid-November afternoon. For most of the villagers, the icy precipitation conjured up images of warm nights snuggled by the fire, hot cups of glogg, snow angels, and the promise of snowball fights. But for a select few, the first snowfall signaled that it was time to prepare for the upcoming ice harvest. Kristoff Bjorgman, a strapping young man of twenty-one, was one such person. He had been sitting on the landing of the palace steps, contentedly watching the world go by, as the snow first started to float softly down. Initially, the sight of the flakes caused a rush of excitement. Snow meant cold temperatures, cold temperatures meant ice, and ice meant the start of the three-month season of ice harvesting – his passion as well as livelihood.

Then, the full realization struck him and for the first time in his life, he wished things could be different.

Ice harvesting meant leaving Anna.

His eyes trailed down to the woman with strawberry blonde braids sitting next to him, nuzzled against his side. Just looking at her, with her arms wrapped tightly around his bicep and her head rested on his shoulder, began that now-familiar stirring in his chest.

It had been four months since this little firecracker of a princess had turned his world upside down. It was her spirit, he had decided early on, that he admired most about her. That willingness to just go with the flow and try things out, never letting obstacles get in her way, and never giving up. But he didn't just admire that about her – he bathed in it. He drank it up in the hopes of being able to see the world the way she did; with all its majesty, and wonder, and excitement.

Maybe that was the reason why he found falling in love with her so terrifying. She was slowly but surely changing the way he had seen the world for the last twenty-one years – and she didn't even know it.

He had to tell her. As terrible as he was at talking about his feelings, he had to find some moment to speak the words that were clamped tight in his heart. Those three little words. Three terrifying words, which when voiced, would confirm the fact that he was becoming a different person because of her. A different person than the one he'd spent his _entire life_ being – up until now.

He only had weeks before the harvest began. He had to do it soon, or he'd spend the next three months in agony waiting for his next chance. And as the falling snow reminded him of the months he would spend without her, the warm stirring in his chest turned quickly into a painful ache.

"It's snowing!" came a familiar voice from behind him.

As Anna suddenly righted herself and lifted her face to the sky with an excited "It is?!", Kristoff looked behind them as Elsa appeared on the landing, dressed in icy blue.

"Yeah," Kristoff replied gruffly, not wanting to be reminded.

Anna noted his tone and looked over at him in concern. "Everything okay?" she asked.

No, everything was not okay. She was dating a coward.

"I'm fine."

Anna didn't seem buy it, but apparently decided not to press the issue. Instead she leaned over and kissed the stubble on his jaw before standing up to speak with her sister about the change in weather. The pair immediately fell into conversation and as he watched, Kristoff couldn't help but relax. There was something so heart-warming between Anna and Elsa, especially considering their history together.

Since the Winter Incident four months ago, the sisters had found their way back into a warm, loving relationship with each other and were both finally thriving. The Snow Queen of Arendelle had learned to master and control her fantastical powers by leaps and bounds, and Anna had been there every step of the way. She was Elsa's constant cheerleader, tirelessly coming up with ways for Elsa to safely vent frustrations or meditate them away, and nurturing her growing creativity. Ice sculptures were becoming a particular favourite, and the palace gardens were dotted with frozen statues of Anna in various poses.

"So, Anna, just wait until you see what I've made. You'll love it. You, too, Kristoff." Elsa beamed.

Curious, Kristoff rose and joined the sisters on the landing.

"What is it?" Anna asked excitedly. "Did you finally make a Kristoff statue?"

"Oh, no. _Please _don't tell me you made a Kristoff statue!"

Elsa giggled at their exchange. "No, even better." She then turned towards the palace. "Come to me, Vogel!"

There was a caw, and suddenly a beautiful, icy phoenix flew into sight. With a graceful flap of its glittering wings, it glided towards the threesome and came to land on Elsa's shoulder.

"Oh, Elsa," Anna gasped. "It's _amazing_! _You're_ amazing!"

Kristoff merely stared, too blown away for words.

"Thank you," Elsa blushed. "Balancing the ability to fly with the right weight of ice proved a bit difficult, but I finally figured it out. He's meant to be a messenger bird. I made him so that you and Kristoff can write to each other come December when he's away ice harvesting."

That snapped Kristoff back to reality with a sudden lurch, and brought Anna up short.

"Away when he's ice harvesting?" she asked, visibly confused. "What do you mean?" She turned to Kristoff, who sensed with a sudden dread where the conversation was heading. "I know we haven't really talked about it, but I just figured was going with you." When she saw the expression on his face, she hesitated. "Aren't I…going with you?"

Kristoff wanted to hit himself. He should have known. He should have known that she'd want to come with him! This was Anna, after all. The girl would run into a cave of hungry bears if she thought it worth her while! How had he not foreseen her wanting to join him and the other harvesters on the lakes? How had he not realized that she wouldn't see how _incredibly dangerous_ it was?

He had to tell her no. For her own safety, and for his own peace of mind, she could _not _come with him. But when he looked down at her poor, confused face, he felt a rush of guilt and anxiety. It was going to be hard enough saying goodbye to her for three months, but now saying goodbye to her and knowing that she had expected to go with him?

He reached for her small hands and entwined them in his larger ones. "Anna," Kristoff gently began. "I'm sorry, but no, you can't. It's too dangerous."

"What?!" she exclaimed. "Too dangerous?! What's so dangerous about me sitting on the bank watching you work all day?"

Kristoff shook his head sadly, his heart aching. "I know you. You'd promise to stay on the shore and out of the way, but then you'd get restless and want to help. You need to understand; one wrong move, one little slip on the ice, is all it takes. You could fall into the water and get trapped under the ice. A block could slip off a harness and crush you. A saw could – " but he stopped. Thinking of all the horrible ways Anna could die was starting to make him nauseous.

Anna, however, was unperturbed.

"But I really, really would stay off the ice! I'll swear it in blood, if you want," she cried. "I'll do it! Elsa! Get me some paper and a knife!"

"Anna, _please_," Kristoff begged, squeezing her hands. He looked into her ocean eyes, willing them to accept his words. "Please understand. I'm not doing this to be mean, and I'm not doing this because I don't trust you. I'm doing this because I…" he hesitated.

_Say it_, he told himself. _Man up and just say it right now_.

"because…I…because I know if anything happened to you - if you so much as twisted your ankle because I let you come along - I'd never forgive myself."

_Damn it_.

Elsa, who had remained silent during the exchanged, suddenly piped up with the clincher. "Besides, Anna; you're forgetting something very important. If you're around while he's working, Kristoff will want to watch over you. If he is watching over you instead of focusing on his job, that kind of distraction would put _his_ life in danger, as well."

Anna turned towards her sister in surprise.

"Oh!" she exclaimed. "I, uh…I hadn't thought of it that way…"

Looking back at Kristoff, Anna held his pleading gaze for just a few more moments before giving a sigh of defeat. "I don't want you to get hurt because of me, so…I guess I won't be joining you after all," she said sadly. "But at least I'll get lots of practice at letter writing!"

Kristoff merely shook his head incredulously before pulling her into a hug. Leave it to Anna to care more about the safety of others than her own well-being.

Just then, Kai, their head-of-staff, appeared at the door. "My ladies, Kristoff; lunch is served. If you would please join us in the dining hall."

"Thank goodness. I'm starving." Standing on her tip-toes, Anna gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "Come on, Vogel," she said, offering her arm as a perch. "Let's see what you like to eat."

Vogel gave a caw and hopped from Elsa's shoulder to Anna's outstretched arm.

"Oh, you're heavy!" she declared. She was still hurt by the fact that she was about to be separated from Kristoff in another month, but trying hard to look on the positive side. Being able to have her written letters personally delivered to him by a bird made of ice was pretty fantastic.

Elsa and Kristoff watched Anna follow Kai inside, all the while talking to her new pet. Then, Elsa placed a hand on Kristoff's arm.

"Thank you," she said. "That couldn't have been easy, but you truly love her, and it shows."

Kristoff felt a sudden wave of shame, thinking back to just a few moments ago when he had turned down his chance to say those three words.

"If that's true," he mumbled, "then why can't I even say it?"


	2. The Set Up

Hey everyone. Less than two weeks to go until Frozen opens! Do you have your ticket yet!?

Enjoy the second chapter. Again, the characters from Frozen are owned by Disney.

* * *

**Three months later…**

Anna stood in the palace courtyard anxiously watching the eastern horizon. The first rays of yellow and orange had already begun to push back against the inky night, but it was still more dark than light. Anna rocked from foot to foot in anticipation. She had already been up for hours, much too excited about the day's journey ahead to sleep, but one of Elsa's many conditions was that Anna wait for the sun.

"Come on," the princess whispered urgently. "Come on, sun. You can do it. Just a little faster, okay? I finally get to see Kristoff today, so I need you to move it!"

It had been ninety-eight days, seventeen hours, and thirty-four minutes since Anna had last seen the muscular blond. They had spent their time apart furiously writing letters to each other, safely delivered by Vogel to the other's excited grasp. Kristoff's letters would describe the icy lakes and rivers he and his fifteen-person crew harvested as they journeyed further and further away from Arendelle, the men themselves, and the kingdoms they sold their wares to. Anna, in return, would write about the latest visiting dignitary, Elsa's continuing progress with her gift, and the latest village news. The letters made the separation easier, but only as much as a salve would dull the pain from a knife. Anna was aching to once again be in Kristoff's strong embrace.

With mischievous glee, she thought of the last letter their icy messenger had arrived with just a couple days before, which, in Kristoff's own messy writing, described how he and his team had arrived at Lake Amstel to harvest the kingdom's own supply of ice, and would be departing for Arendelle with their load on the 24th – tomorrow. Kristoff had ended his letter with "_SEE YOU ON THE 24__th__! I CAN'T WAIT!" _and enough x's and o's to cover the bottom of the page. As she had raced to tell Elsa the news of Kristoff's return, an idea sprung to Anna's mind. By the time she located her sister the entire plan came out in a hurried, ecstatic jumble.

From what Elsa could gather from her sister's flurry of words, Anna was planning to travel to Lake Amstel on the 23rd for a surprise visit, then return with Kristoff and the others on the 24th, as scheduled.

At first, Elsa had adamantly refused, reminding Anna of the conversation the three of them had had prior to Kristoff's departure. It was too dangerous, she'd get hurt, Kristoff would be distracted…but Anna insisted – pointing out in Kristoff's letter how he expected to finish up work by the late afternoon on the 23rd and then rest up for an early morning departure.

"It'll be perfect!" Anna had insisted. "Everyone will be relaxing, I'll arrive just in time for dinner, and we can have a nice big meal to celebrate the end of the harvesting season."

But Elsa remained wary. By horse, Lake Amstel was a full day's journey from Arendelle; much too far for Anna to travel alone. Besides that, she didn't know the road well. She could get lost, Elsa had reasoned. Or end up stranded in a ditch, or attacked by bandits or wolves…

"Then come with me," Anna had begged. "Your powers would keep us safe from everything!"

"I would, my dearest, but the Spanish ambassador is arriving tomorrow and staying a week. Kristoff will be home soon. You can wait one extra day."

Anna, however, refused to be defeated.

The argument had lasted the rest of the day and would have continued into the night had it not been for Joris Ericksen tipping the scales. Captain of the Arendelle palace guards, he had grown a soft spot for Anna ever since her courageous sacrifice during the Winter Incident. Upon hearing of her dilemma, he was quick to volunteer his services to the Queen as Anna's escort and guard. With over thirty years of combat experience, Joris was strong, capable, a skilled swordsman, and most importantly - was someone both sisters trusted with their lives.

"Milady," he said to Elsa with a low bow. "I humbly offer to take Princess Anna safely to Lake Amstel and back again. I know the road well, and it's an easy, albeit long, journey into the Eastern Mountains. I will watch over her and protect her from harm, both on the road and at the lake. You have my word."

Joris had sealed the deal. With such a promise, Elsa could no longer hold back her consent and begrudgingly agreed.

But as Anna squealed with delight and threw her arms around her sister, the Queen quickly added; "However, there will be _conditions_."

One of those conditions, it turned out, was that Anna and Joris were prohibited from travelling in the dark. In other words, they weren't allowed to leave Arendelle until the sun appeared on the horizon.

And so, Anna stood in the courtyard on the morning of the 23rd, watching and waiting for that first sliver of orange fire until suddenly….

"It's here! The sun's up! _Let's go_!"

* * *

Many hours later, Joris, Anna, and the two horses which pulled their sled, were gliding easily through yet another patch of forest. The sun had been on its downward path for a few hours now, and Anna had grown bored of their fiftieth round of I Spy. For Joris, spying something green somehow always ended up being a tree.

As promised, the journey had been an easy one. The only beat of excitement had come no more than ten minutes before, when the road had suddenly turned sharply to the left and the horses had cut the corner a little too close. Another few feet and the entire party would have slipped off the road and down a steep ravine, reminding Anna of just how far up into the mountains they had come.

"So Joris," she asked above the steady beat of hooves, "on a scale of one to ten, how happy do you think Kristoff will be to see us?"

Her companion smiled and adjusted his grip on the reigns. "To see you, my lady Anna, he'll be a fifty. But to see me…I fear a negative four." He laughed good-naturedly at his own self-deprecating humour. "Although perhaps when he and the rest of the men see all the goodies we've brought with us, he may consider it a zero!"

Anna gave an easy laugh as well as she glanced back at their supply packed into special cold boxes in the back row of the sled. For seventeen grown men plus her, Joris and Anna had brought enough lamb, cheese, chicken, bread, beef, fruit, and chocolate for double that. Not to mention the keg of wine.

"No, no, Joris, your title has to count for something! You'll help Kristoff keep the rest of the men in line when they try to drink all our glogg. I think that deserves at least a two!" she ribbed.

Joris laughed again. It was something he seemed to be doing less of in his advancing years, but also something Anna managed to easily elicit. Brave, generous, _and_ entertaining, he was proud to serve her.

"Oooo, I can't wait to get there!" Anna squealed. "We must be getting close. How much longer, do you think?"

Joris thought back to the last sign post they had seen, and did a mental calculation from there. "I'd wager it's another five miles." He turned to Anna and smiled. "If our horses can keep up their canter, we'll be there in about half an hour."

"Half an hour!" Anna exclaimed happily, pumping her fists in the air. "Yes!"

Coming around a bend, something on the tree-lined path caught her attention. "Wait, Joris," Anna leaned forward in her seat and pointed at something straight ahead. "What's that?"

Joris looked ahead as well and immediately knew they had a problem. It was a tree; a large fir tree which had fallen across the path. It looked to have been uprooted and toppled over from a storm. Joris pulled on the reins and brought the two horses to a halt, frowning. "It would appear that we have a bit of an obstacle to overcome."

Anna smiled. "Good thing I'm here, then. I've got a bit of a knack for that."

Joris's eyes narrowed as he took in the scene. "That you do…" he replied distractedly. Looking around, he took note that none of the other fir trees which lined the path appeared damaged, despite some being much smaller than the one currently blocking their way. If this large tree had fallen in a storm, why wasn't there damage elsewhere?

Joris's instincts told him to beware.

Anna, meanwhile, was turned around in her seat and rummaging through the supplies in the back. "I'm pretty sure we packed some rope, so if you want to unhook the horses, I'll tie – "

"Milady, stay in the sled," Joris suddenly snapped.

Anna turned back to him in confused surprise, then watched as Joris stepped out of the sled and reached for his sword, unsheathing it.

Anna was instantly on her feet. "What is it, Joris? What's wrong?" She looked all around her, trying to discern what it was that had made him so uneasy.

"I don't know yet," he said honestly. "Please just stay where you are."

Cautiously, with his sword at the ready, Joris began to walk towards the fallen fir. His instincts told him that if this was a natural accident, there would be other corresponding signs. But something was off. The snow and earth at the base of the tree, for instance, should have been overturned by the roots being ripped from the ground. The branches of neighbouring trees which were in the path of the fall should have been snapped off. There should have been debris scattered about the snowy road from the force of the impact.

It took Joris only a moment to realize the truth.

"Anna," he cried, spinning back towards the sled, "it's a – !"

He stopped dead in his tracks.

There was a large man in the sled with Anna. He had a thick arm clamped hard around her torso, pinning her own arms down. In his free hand he held a menacing knife, and it pressed dangerously against her delicate throat.

"It's a trap?" the man finished for Joris, with a sneer.


	3. Fear and Fire

Hey, friends! Sorry for the wait. I had a reaaaaally hard time writing this chapter and actually re-wrote it a couple times. I hope you all like it. I got very metaphorical at one point, so hopefully you all will follow where I'm going with this.

A big thanks to all the readers for all the reviews, favourites, and follows. And a big shout out to the reviewer "Guest", who's been checking daily to see when I'd update. I hope the wait was worth it.

Disclaimer: Kristoff, Anna, and the movie Frozen are all owned by Disney.

* * *

Anna couldn't believe what was happening. One second, she was standing alone in the sled watching anxiously as Joris looked over a fallen fir, and the next second some big ruffian had grabbed her and was pointing a knife to her throat. There hadn't even been enough time to scream.

In the same moment, Joris had spun towards her crying "Anna, it's a…!" Then she had watched as his face dissolved into shock and fear.

"It's a trap?" her captor had asked menacingly. He was big. Bigger than Kristoff, big. With thick arms, ratty clothes, and a big, matted beard to match. He also smelled. This guy probably hadn't bathed in a year, but what could she expect from someone who probably stole from travelers for a living?

At least, she hoped he would only be stealing from them…

_Stay calm, Anna, _she told herself. _Just stay calm. It looks bad, but Joris is strong, and brave, and great with a sword. He'll make mincemeat out of this jerk and we'll be laughing about it in an hour._

"Anna, are you all right?" Joris called, his face full of dread as he eyed the knife.

She could almost see the wheels churning in his head as he assessed the situation. He was a good twenty feet away from them, but taking small steps back in their direction. Anna imagined he was at that moment trying to calculate how close he'd need to be to skewer this guy.

"Yeah, I'm okay," Anna replied, speaking carefully so to not make the weapon at her throat press any harder. "This guy sure tricked us, huh?"

"That he did," Joris replied, visibly relieved that she was trying to make light of the situation. The two shared a glance and the smallest of smiles.

_It's going to be okay. It's going to be – _

_CRACK!_

Joris gave a short gasp of pain and collapsed into the snow, where he remained motionless.

"_Joris!?_" Anna cried, lurching against her captor. She felt the knife cut into her skin as she struggled. "Joris! JORIS!"

"Settle down, girlie," her captor growled, "or I'll turn the snow red with your blood."

"What did you do to him?" she cried, growing still with fear.

A second man, short and wide, then appeared from behind a nearby tree. He gave a cocky smile, revealing a row of black teeth. In his dirty hand he twirled a home-made slingshot.

"Still got it," the newcomer crowed.

Anna's heart pounded as she watched him pompously walk through the tree line and towards the sled, realizing that her predicament was steadily growing worse. She was at knife-point, she was unarmed, her only nearby aid now lay unconscious in the snow, and she was up against not one, but two assailants.

_Come on, Anna_, she urged herself_. You can get out of this. You and Joris are going to be fine. You just need to think. Just think. They're robbers, so what they want is… _

"Okay, guys," the princess said as casually as she could manage. "You sure beat us. We surrender! The sled's yours. So how about you just let me and my friend go, and we'll be on our way like it _never _happened. Deal?"

Her captor and the fat man with the slingshot looked at each other incredulously, then burst out laughing. As they laughed, the sound echoed around them until it sounded like there were actually more than just the two of them laughing.

Then, three more disheveled men immerged from the forest.

As the laughter died down, the man with the slingshot looked over at one of the new arrivals.

"Hey, Sem," he called with amusement. "What'cha think of the little girlie here?"

Sem was tall and lean, with long, scraggly hair and a rusted sword hanging from his belt. As the other four men turned their heads to see his response, Anna guessed that he was the band's leader.

Striding arrogantly towards the sled, Sem gave Anna a long, amused look.

"I think," he crooned to Anna, "that you're in no position to be making deals, sweetheart."

* * *

Kristoff sat in a small folding chair on the bank of Lake Amstel, trying to relax. He needed to relax, and had nothing else to do but that. The last of the ice had been packed onto their sleds, the horses were being fed, Sven was polishing off a bag of carrots, and the other harvesters were talking and laughing away around him without a care in the world.

So what was his problem?

With a sigh, he looked down at the letter in his hand. It was the last one he had received from Anna, and contained only three words: _SEE YOU SOON! _ Vogel had delivered it yesterday, and was still waiting around for a potential response.

Tomorrow. After the longest three months of his life, he was going to be reunited with Anna _tomorrow_. And as much as the knowledge of their upcoming reunion filled him with ecstatic joy, it also filled him with shame. Ninety-eight days of thinking of her, writing to her, longing for her, dreaming of her, and he_ still _hadn't said those three words. Even after promising himself he'd say them before he left. Even after promising he'd write them out to her in a letter. Even after crumpling up paper after paper with each failed attempt, swearing he'd manage it the next time.

Three months, and the fear which gripped his heart still refused to let go.

"Something wrong, my boy?" came a familiar voice.

Kristoff looked up to see Alrik standing over him with an expression of concern. Built like an ox, Alrik had been in the ice business for the past twenty-five years. Hard working, dedicated, and loyal to a fault, he spoke of his wife with passion and treated Kristoff – Arendelle's official Ice Master and Deliverer – as more of a son than his boss.

"I'd have thought you'd be a bit more lively about seeing your little lass tomorrow, yeah? 'Specially since she's jumpin' to see you." Alrik continued with a nod to Anna's letter.

"I can't _wait _to see her," Kristoff insisted. "It's just that…" he stumbled over his next words, the heat of embarrassment warming his cheeks. "I…I told myself that I'd…do something…for Anna…before I came back. And I haven't done it yet."

Alrik sensed his discomfort, and crouched down in front of Kristoff in order to meet him eye to eye.

"Eh? And what's been stoppin' you?" he asked earnestly.

Kristoff cleared his throat and forced himself to return Alrik's gaze as he pulled together an answer. Where should he even start? He had never really spoken his trouble out loud before – not even to Sven – and to try and explain it now seemed like an impossible task.

"What's been stopping me…" he started, "is that…" he frowned. "It's like I'm standing on the edge of a well. A well that's dark and I can't see the bottom of. And I'm trying to decide whether or not to jump in."

He stopped, wondering if he was making any sense, then caught Alrik's nod of encouragement.

"Part of me wants to," he continued. "But the other part of me thinks it's dangerous and that I'll probably get hurt. The thing is, I _want _to jump but every time I work up the nerve there's this voice in my head saying _don't do it, Kristoff. Don't do it, or you'll regret it_. And I've listened to that voice for so long, I'm…"

Kristoff faltered, embarrassed and ashamed to admit the rest.

"Go on," Alrik coaxed warmly.

The blond grit his teeth. "I'm afraid of what'll happen if I ignore it."

"Hmmmm." Alrik nodded sagely as he put the pieces together. He was beginning to guess what it was that Kristoff had yet to 'do' for the princess.

"And has the little lass 'done' this for you?"

The question brought Kristoff up short. "Uh, no, actually. But that's only because the last guy she was seeing…" he paused as a surge of hatred rolled through him. "Well, you know."

Alrik nodded again, recalling how for a month after the Winter Incident, the kingdom had cursed a certain prince's name.

"If that's true, my boy, then I don't see a problem to be had. Just relax! Enjoy life, yeah? There'll come a time when you'll know, clear as ice, that it's time to jump. And you'll do it then without thinking twice. But until then, don't worry your head over it. Just give that beauty a kiss and be happy."

As Kristoff mulled over the advice, Alrik stood and ruffled the younger man's blond locks with a meaty hand.

"And that reminds me," Alrik continued. "What in blue blazes are you still doing here with _us_ smelly dogs? Go home! See your little lass. Your pinin' for her is drivin' the rest of us to madness! We can manage the trip home well enough without the likes of you," he teased.

"What?" Kristoff stood in surprise. He'd actually been yearning to do that very thing all day, but had convinced himself it wouldn't be right. "No, I couldn't," he said. "I mean, it's my responsibility to – "

Alrik turned away from Kristoff and called out to the rest of the crew, who relaxed about in scattered groups of conversation.

"Eh! You lot care a hoot if Kristoff heads out now to go see his woman?"

The good-natured yells of _No! _and _Get outta here! _filled the air.

Alrik turned back to Kristoff with a smirk.

"Sun's got another hour of daylight left in 'er, so get to it. And take that damn ice bird with you. Thing gives me the shakes."

Kristoff smiled with gratitude. "Thank you."

It took only minutes to pack up his supplies and hook an excited Sven to the sled. Vogel, who sensed the departure, took up a perch right between the reindeer's antlers and gave an energetic _caw!_

As he finished with his goodbyes, Kristoff stepped into the sled and took up the reigns.

"All right, buddy!" he said with growing anticipation. "Let's go see Anna!"

* * *

The princess burned hot with anger.

Maybe it had been the unconcealed arrogance in Sem's voice as he'd called her 'sweetheart'. Maybe it was the way he seemed to relish the pain of others, or maybe it was because Sem and his rag-tag bunch of misfits seemed to think that they could get away with taking her hostage and hurting Joris.

Regardless of what it was, it had caused Anna's fear to melt into liquid rage.

"Just who are you calling _sweetheart_, you _low-life_?" she snapped.

Sem's eyes widened at the unexpected backlash and a hush fell over the group. For a moment Anna wondered if he'd signal for the big man to slit her throat. The searing way the knife suddenly dug into her skin certainly suggested that was an option.

She grit her teeth as she felt a line of blood run down her neck.

But instead of approving her death, Sem gave her a conceited smirk. "Nice. Lots of sizzle in you, sweetheart." He then looked to the big man. "You can hold off on that, Ton. I like what I'm seeing."

Ton gave the knife the slightest bit of slack as his leader turned to other three men in his crew.

"We've got a live one here, boys," he declared. "All fired up and nowhere to go!"

As the rest of the men began laughing at her, Anna's anger only grew.

"Just you wait," she declared over their laughter, no longer caring as the knife dug once more into her skin. "There are sixteen ice harvesters at Lake Amstel waiting for us. What do you think is going to happen when they find out you robbed us and hurt my friend? This is your last chance to let us go."

It was a bit of a bluff, since no one knew they were coming, but Anna would have threatened the moon would fall on them if she thought they'd believe her.

Sem's cocky demeanor faltered for only an instant. "Ah, so much fire and bravado!" he gushed. "A good show, but you're lying."

"I'm not. The sled's full of food and wine," she countered. "You think two people could eat and drink that much?"

But once the mention of alcohol passed Anna's lips, the rest of her words were ignored.

Ton was the first to crack. "Wine?"

Tossing Sem his knife, he shoved Anna from the sled and dove into the back. Finding the keg, he smashed through the top, picked it up, and began pouring the drink into his mouth.

Practically falling into Sem's arms, Anna tried to fight her way free and run to Joris but was easily overpowered. With the knife once again at her throat and his long arms wrapped tight around her, she watched as the other three men began to fight Ton for their turn in a mad drinking frenzy.

"Now look what you've done, sweetheart," Sem breathed hotly into her ear. "Turned them into a bunch of animals."

Anna looked to Joris's lifeless body, still several feet away. "You're already animals," she spat.

"Ooh," Sem cooed. "Be still my heart."

Within a few minutes, the entire keg was emptied.

"Pack it in, boys," Sem announced. "You've had your fill. Back to camp with the rest. Dirk, toss the keg."

The short, fat one with the slingshot tucked into his pant waist turned out to be Dirk. He gave a loud hiccup, clearly drunk, and stumbled over the empty barrel instead of picking it up. Wiping his mouth on his filthy sleeve, he nearly fell off the sled as he flashed Anna a black smile.

"Thanks, girlie," he slurred. "Been a long while since I had me some o' that."

As someone less drunk was told to dispose of the keg, Sem's words bounced with relief in Anna's head. The men were leaving, which meant that this terrible ordeal would soon be over.

It wasn't until she was once again sitting in the front seat of the sled that she realized something was terribly wrong.

As the inebriated Dirk slid in beside her, her brain made the connection. They were taking her with them.

"NO!" she cried, dashing to the other side of the sled.

It was Sem, now saddled with Joris's own sword, who grabbed her. As they struggled, he must have recognized her expression of fear because he began to chide her wickedly.

"Tisk, tisk, you didn't think we'd let our little fireball go, did you? But what's this? Is all the fire gone? Such a shame." He looked over at Joris lying motionless in the snow next to his old, rusted weapon. Sem's lip curled up cruelly. "If the fire's out, we'll have to think of some way to light it up again."

Anna went still as she realized the meaning behind Sem's words. He would hurt Joris just to make her _angry_? The very thought made her blood boil.

"DON'T YOU _DARE_!" she screamed.

Sem gave a dramatic shiver. "Ahh, spicy. That's why I'm keeping you."

Anna tried to ignore him. "I'll go with you, but just _don't _hurt Joris," she demanded. He would wake up soon, she was sure, and be able to safely finish the journey to Lake Amstel. One of them had to make it.

There was a pause. Sem looked up at the sun as it sank towards the horizon, then his lip made that same cruel curl. "Sure, sweetheart. I promise _we _won't hurt him."

Anna was too relieved to think twice about his tone.

As the crowded sled pulled away from Joris and the fallen tree, Anna looked back at her friend.

_You'll be okay, Joris_, she thought. _Just get to the lake. I'll figure something out. Just get to the lake and be safe._

Beside her, the inebriated Dirk began to chuckle. "Oooh, girlie," he sloshed. "Better say yer goodbyes to yer pal, there. Ain't never gonna see him again in one piece."

Anna looked over at the fat man in alarm. "What are you talking about? He's going to be fine. Sem promised none of you would hurt him, and no one did."

"Sure, sure," Dirk waved. "Sem promised that _we _wouldn't do nuthin'. But…" Dirk circled a finger at the sun. "There ain't much daylight left. It'll be night soon. And he didn't make no promises about the _wolves._"


	4. Plans

Hi, everyone! So sorry again for the delay in getting this next chapter posted. I have a big work project and blah blah blah taking up all my time blah blah blah.

I'm sending out lots of warm fuzzies to you all in thanks for the huge amount of love my story is getting. And I've got to give a special shout out to EvieArendelle who created an account just to have a better way to follow the action. You rock!

Enjoy the next chapter, and as always, the characters and story of Frozen belong to Disney.

* * *

Anna felt herself gasp, but it was soundless. Dirk's words had stolen her breath away.

In a rush, the memories from her and Kristoff's own wolf attack flooded her vision. Their glowing eyes, hungry snarls, snapping teeth... In her mind's eye she saw Kristoff being ripped from the sled as they attacked, barking viciously, tearing into their next meal.

Then she thought of Joris; alone and on foot. He was five miles away from Kristoff and Lake Amstel, with a head injury and nothing but Sem's dull sword to protect himself against a pack of deadly carnivores.

Had she just sentenced him to his death?

Anna felt the tendrils of panic snake through her.

_No_, she told herself firmly, biting back a wave of nausea. _Joris is smart. If any wolves show up, he'll…he'll find some high up place to wait until morning before getting Kristoff. Wolves can't climb trees, right?_

But something pushed at the back of her mind. Something she didn't want to consider. Something Joris had said to Elsa before they had left…

"_I will watch over her and protect her from harm, both on the road and at the lake. You have my word."_

Anna clutched at her chest, feeling her rising panic spread through her like the ice curse from so many months ago.

Joris had sworn an oath to his queen. He wasn't going to hide. He was going to come after her.

And he was going to be killed in the process.

_I have to get off this sled._

Just then, Dirk gave a loud yawn from beside her. It seemed all that wine was now making him sleepy. As he wiggled about in his seat to find a more comfortable sleeping position, something tucked into the waist of Dirk's pants cause Anna's eye: the slingshot.

Anna stared at it for a moment, then slowly a smile inched its way across her face.

She had a plan.

* * *

As Joris drifted back into consciousness, he became dimly aware of two things: he was lying cold in the snow, and had a splitting headache. With a pained groan, he brought stiff hand to his head. Gingerly feeling the throbbing, tangerine sized bump, Joris wondered just what it was he had been hit with - and how.

After attempting to move, he found that much like his hand, the rest of his body was stiff with cold. How long had he been lying here on the ground? _Why_ had he been lying here on the ground? Sluggishly, his cotton brain began to piece together his last memories.

He had been travelling to Lake Amstel. There had been a tree on the road. He had gone over to inspect it, and –

The man. The knife. The trap.

_Anna._

With a lurch, Joris was on his feet and immediately stumbling through a roll of pain and wave of nausea. In a quick glance, he became painfully aware that Anna, the sled, and the horses were nowhere to be seen. All was eerily quiet.

"Anna? ANNA!" He called, desperately.

Joris listened in the strained silence, hoping to catch her voice, praying she was somehow nearby and unhurt. But as the seconds ticked by, another wave of nausea rolled through him which had nothing to do with the pain in his head.

If she hadn't escaped, then they had taken her. He was sure of it.

But who were "they"? There had been the man with the knife, and someone else must have struck him. That meant two attackers. Looking to the sky, Joris recalled the sun's low position before coming across the tree decoy, and doubted he'd been unconscious for long. Perhaps ten minutes, at the most. So what had occurred in that span of time? He turned his attention to the path – the tracks left in the snow would give him a clue.

As he carefully walked the scene, the thin lines from their sled and the large, U-shaped hooves of the horses were easy to spot. That set of tracks formed a large semi-circle across the path, which ended up putting the sled on a course that went away from Lake Amstel, back the way he and Anna had came; perhaps in the direction of some transient base camp their assailants currently called home.

In addition to these tracks, he knew he would find three sets of boot prints: his own, the ones of his attacker, and the large ones of the man who had held Anna at knifepoint in the sled. But what he prayed he would find in the snow were a set of small footprints: Anna's – hopefully leading off the path and into the forest in escape.

Instead, the compressions in the snow told a very different story; one that had him clenching his teeth in anger.

There hadn't been two attackers. There had been _five_. Five sets of prints, closing in on Anna in the sled and amassing into a jumble. He could only imagine what had gone through her head as she realized that even if she got away from the man with the knife, she was still utterly outnumbered. As clever and fearless as Anna was, he quickly understood why she didn't escape.

Joris's head throbbed as his assessment came to conclusion: he had to follow the sled tracks and go after her. There was no time to waste.

Instinctively reaching for his sword, it took Joris a moment to remember that he would have dropped it when he'd been plunged into unconsciousness. Looking back for it, he finally noticed an old, rusted weapon waiting in the snow a number of paces away. Apparently, one of the assailants had decided to trade up.

With a snarl, he grabbed for it and took off after the sled in a run, trying to ignore the instant pounding in his head every step produced.

He had to hurry. Bad things happened in the dark, and sunset was little more than half an hour away.

* * *

"Wait for it," Anna whispered to herself, her body a mass of tension. "Just wait for it."

She had already waited the longest twenty minutes of her life for Dirk to finally drift off into a drunken oblivion, and had carefully snatched up the slingshot the moment he had started snoring.

"A little more, just a little further."

She squeezed her ammunition – a chuck of jagged wood from the smashed wine keg – in her fist.

"Almost there, you can do this."

Anna ran through her plan one last time, stealing a glance at Sem. The reins were loose in one hand, and he casually took in the scenery as he ran his fingers through his long, greasy hair with the other. Giving a small but triumphant smile, she knew his laid back arrogance meant he'd never react in time. Kristoff would be so proud.

_Okay, Anna, _she thought, as the sled came around a bend and into a straightaway. _NOW!_

Loading the chuck of wood, she took aim at one of the horses and let the ammunition fly. It struck the beast hard in its haunch, and in an instant, everything became chaos. The horse, injured, whinnied in pain and reared back. The men cried out in surprise, but before they could make sense of it, it was too late. Anna had scrambled past Dirk, the horses were taking off in a thunderous, frantic run, and she had jumped from the sled.

Gripping the slingshot, Anna sprinted into the forest without looking back.

* * *

Kristoff looked towards the horizon and frowned. The sky was brushstrokes of yellow, pink, orange, and red as the sun began to set in the west, far beyond. Twilight was approaching, and he had hoped to be further along than this. He wrestled with the idea of telling Sven to go faster, but they had so many more hours to go he couldn't do that to his friend.

It was all that stupid tree's fault.

They had been making excellent time until coming across that stupid fir tree blocking their path. There hadn't been any way around it, and Kristoff had to unhook Sven from the harness, then rummage through his supplies to find some rope, then spend what seemed like hours tying the rope around the tree so he and Sven could pull it away – all the while getting poked at by needles and listening to Vogel squawking…

Kristoff sighed.

_It doesn't matter_, he reminded himself. _All that matters is seeing Anna._

As she entered his thoughts, he pushed everything else out. The tree, the long road home, that awkward conversation with Alrik about knowing when to jump…he cleared his mind and focused on her. He had already begun planning out what he was going to do when he arrived back home, and felt his frustration melt away as he replayed the grand scheme in his head.

It would be early, early morning by the time he reached the kingdom. So early, Anna's room would still be shrouded in darkness. He'd creep in quietly to find her curled up in bed, fast asleep. After removing his clothes, he'd slip in beside her and pull her into him. Her body would be soft and warm. He'd run his fingers gently across her cheek, over her lips, then -

"_Kristoff?!"_

Snapping out of his fantasy with a start, he stood in alarm as his brain registered the voice then spotted its owner alone on the road, a hundred yards straight ahead.

"_Joris?_" he called out in disbelief.

Kristoff was dumbfounded. Could it really be him? It made no sense. What was the captain of the Arendelle guards doing out here, without so much as a horse? Something didn't feel right.

As Joris broke into a run towards the sled, Kristoff's unease grew stronger and stronger. The captain looked wild, with an expression that was half fury, half determination, and mixed with a shot of terror. In one hand, he held some old and rusted sword which was most definitely not his own.

"Thank the Gods, Kristoff. This is the miracle I needed. Quickly, there's no time to lose!" he shouted, as they closed the distance between them.

"What is it? What happened?" the blond asked, feeling his anxiety ratchet up a dozen notches.

Kristoff pulled Sven to a halt and Joris leapt into the sled beside him. Then, he said five words which made the blond's blood run cold.

"It's Anna. She's been kidnapped."


	5. Liabilities

**A/N: Oh man, you guys, this chapter was haaaard. So many feels! I tried to pace it out and make it as realistic as possible without making it too dark, so I hope you all like it. If you look closely, you'll see the stages that I put Kristoff through. My hat goes off to you if you can name them all, in the right order. Poor guy. Also, bonus points if you already knew the word "footpad".**

**Anyway, this chapter's shout out goes to creatorX33 for being the first person to congratulate Anna for her escape. Girl power!**

**To the rest of my readers, thank you so much for coming along with me on this roller coaster ride. I'm so, so honoured and happy that you're liking my story.**

**As always, Frozen and its characters don't belong to me. Otherwise, we'd have a sequel by now.**

**Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

Kristoff couldn't move.

He couldn't think.

He couldn't breathe.

Sven brayed in fear and Vogel gave a caw, but Kristoff barely registered it. The sound of his own heart pounding in his ears was just too loud.

He was, simply put, in shock.

"She…_what_?" he managed, his voice brittle and cracked. "What…did you say?"

Joris looked on in sympathy, but they couldn't afford the luxury of being idle. The sunlight was fading into twilight and they had a sled to catch. Snatching the reins from Kristoff's slack grasp, he took a seat, yanked Kristoff down beside him, then gave the reins a crack.

"_Yah!"_

As Sven lurched the sled into a run, Joris brought Kristoff up to speed. He explained the surprise visit, why Queen Elsa had allowed it, the set up and ambush, how he had awoken to find Anna gone, and how he had taken up pursuit. "It was a band of footpads," he continued with a growl. "Five in all. Rotten scoundrels who fight without honour and..."

Joris carried on, but Kristoff was no longer listening. Instead, he stared straight ahead, expressionless, trying desperately to both breathe and process the shocking, terrifying news.

_Kidnapped._ Anna had been _kidnapped at knifepoint_.

The very thought made Kristoff sick with fear and grief. Outnumbered or not, he knew Anna would have put up some kind of fight, and he forbade himself to think of what that knife might have done to her as a result. He forbade himself from thinking that she could be out there right now bleeding.

And then there was the tree. It was the same tree he had come across himself – he just knew it. To think that he'd moved it from the path in frustration, angry that it was blocking his way, when it had been a trap all along! If he had just left the lake sooner, he might have reached the decoy before Anna and prevented the attack from happening.

And had Joris not found him, he would have gone straight back to Arendelle without knowing. Without realizing Anna wouldn't be there. Oblivious to what had happened, and unable to do anything about it. Unable to help her. Unable to save her from these men who had taken her for their own twisted reasons. He didn't want to even consider what those reasons could be.

And here he was, now, not knowing where she was, not knowing how he would get to her, not knowing if she was hurt…and completely powerless to do anything about it.

He couldn't believe it. He didn't _want _to believe it. This couldn't be happening to him. This couldn't be real. Not Anna. Not _his _Anna.

But it was.

Kristoff thought of the letter he had written, the trip he had inspired, the attack he had missed, and the full truth of it hit him like a blow to the chest.

It was happening. And it was his fault. It was _all his fault._

A tremble started in Kristoff's hands, quickly moving up his arms and branching out until his entire body shook. He grabbed onto the dash of the sled to steady himself. He tried to inhale slow and deep, but his breathing only became more and more erratic. Every muscle in his body started to tense up. His throat began to close. There was a ringing in his ears. And his chest…

His chest felt like someone had plunged their hand in, grabbed his heart, and ripped it straight out.

Kristoff turned to Joris, his expression twisted with guilt and pain. He opened his mouth to speak, but his voice was nothing more than a hoarse whisper.

"This is all my fault."

Joris had finished his tirade at some point and was now completely focused on the road, scanning it for clues in the dimming light. Upon hearing Kristoff's words, he gave a dismissive scoff. "What's that? All your fault? Are you mad, boy?" He gave a sideways glance. "How are you to blame for - "

It was then that he realized Kristoff was shaking.

It was then that he saw the look on Kristoff's face. It was the look of a sinner, reformed, and awaiting his damnation.

"_Kristoff_," Joris exclaimed in surprise. He pulled hard on the reins and brought Sven to halt.

Clamping his hands firmly onto Kristoff's shoulders, he gave his companion a hard look.

"Listen to me," he growled. "Before we departed, I swore an oath to protect the princess, and now she is gone. It is a shame I shall take with me to my grave, but not one that I shall let control me. Can you guess as to why? Because, Kristoff, if anyone is to blame for what has transpired, it is _those five men_. _They_ chose to ambush us. _They _chose hold a knife to milady's throat. _They_ chose to take her away. Not you, nor I, nor anyone else made those decisions. They were theirs, and theirs alone. If you are looking for someone to blame, then blame them."

Joris waiting for a response, and was relieved to see that at least some part of his speech got through to Kristoff, because his brow furrowed and he gave a slow nod, looking to be thinking the words over.

_Good_, Joris thought. His head still throbbed from his injury, and he knew deep down that this rescue mission was not a one-person job. He needed the blond's help, and Kristoff was useless in his current state.

Emotion was such a liability.

"Good man," the captain said, clapping Kristoff on the back. "Now let us – "

Joris froze as he heard a sound far ahead in the distance, lost amongst the winding path of trees. Sven's ears perked up and he made a noise, looking back at the pair in surprise. He heard it as well. But what was it?

Joris stood and leaned against the dash of the sled, straining to listen as the sound came closer and closer. It was still a ways off, but it was a very familiar, clipped, metered sound, and he squeezed his eyes shut in concentration.

He knew the sound, and a moment later, Joris's eyes popped open as his brain made the connection.

It was the sound of horses' hooves, smacking against snow.

But there was more than that. He could hear something else, now, growing clearer as the horses drew ever closer – threads of sounds which were rising louder and louder in volume with every second.

Voices. Male voices.

_Could it be? _Joris thought, cautious to be so hopeful. Could they be so lucky?

In that instant, Kristoff sprang to his feet and Joris realized immediately that something had changed. Instead of the man who only a few minutes ago had been nearly overcome by the weight of his fear and grief, the Kristoff beside him now practically radiated something else. It was something dark, and fierce, and undulating with a primal rage.

_Ah,_ Joris thought. _It appears I made more of an impact than I realized._

The ice harvester opened his mouth to speak, and the words which came out were low and threatening.

"They're coming back."

* * *

Dirk gave a belch from the back of the sled, rummaging through the ice boxes of stolen food in the dying light. Grabbing up a few slices of meat, he clumsily pushed two slices into his mouth and offered up the third to his driver.

"Hey, Ton," he slurred, still under the influence of the wine. "Ya want summa this?"

Ton turned his large head. He spied the meat, and scowled.

"Idiot. Don't you remember what Sem said? " he snapped.

"Uh…." Dirk hesitated, chewing thoughtfully away with his black teeth. "Naw, can't say I do."

The man next to Ton turned around to glare at Dirk. His gaunt face and yellowed eyes made him frightening on a good day, but as he sneered at the fat man, Dirk suppressed a nervous gulp.

"The boss said don't eat anything 'til we get back to camp, stupid," he growled, the alcohol fueling his irritation. "So – don't – eat – _anything_."

Flinching, Dirk retracted his hand. "Easy there, Leen. No harm, see? No harm." He put the slice back in the box. "I'm just hungry, ya know? We should'a been eatin' by now, but that little girlie messed things up somethin' good."

"And whose fault is that?" Leen barked, his yellow eyes narrowing in anger. "It was _your_ slingshot she nabbed, because _you _fell asleep!"

"'Cause of the wine!" Dirk sputtered. "I keep tellin' ya, that wine did me in good! Never drank so much my whole life! I dunno how you two're still right as rain. It ain't natural!"

A slow smirk crossed Leen's haggard face. "Practice."

"Just keep your fat little fingers to yourself until we get the soldier back to camp," Ton warned, referring to Joris. "Or I'll cut them off and feed them to you."

After Sem, the hulking Ton was second-in-command of their group of five, and Dirk had no doubt that he wouldn't hesitate to follow through with that threat. It was only luck that Ton was currently holding the reigns and unable to start slicing. The man was bloodthirsty.

Dirk gave a gulp, folded his arms protectively across his large belly, and was silent.

Leen barked a laugh and turned back in his seat. Patting his waist where his own collection of small throwing knives was hidden, he arched a brow to Ton.

"Save me a few," he said, referring to Dirk's fingers.

But Ton wasn't listening. He was looking ahead with interest at something on the road. Leen looked as well, and cracked a smile.

In the last of the dying twilight, he made out a sled sitting abandoned on the path. Close by, a reindeer was nosing through what looked to be a bag of carrots on the ground, crunching away lazily. The animal had probably walked over from the forest, sniffed out the bag, and started eating. Idly, it glanced up at their arrival looking completely unperturbed.

"Well, well, well," Ton smirked, pulling the horses to a stop. "What do we have here, boys?"

"Free pickings, from what I can see," said Leen, hopping from the sled. "Maybe the owner went for a piss in the woods."

Dirk jumped from the sled and started jogging over, his stomach jiggling. "Any other food in that there sled is mine!" he announced.

"Take what you want," Ton replied, walking towards the reindeer with a sinister darkness in his eyes. "I'm gonna get me some fresh meat."

But the moment they got close enough, a voice shouted "NOW, SVEN!"

* * *

The moment Kristoff gave the command, Sven spun, suddenly full of life, and kicked Ton hard in the chest with his back legs. The man hit the ground with a resounding thud, crying out in pain. In the same instant, hidden in the darkness behind the sled, Joris pouncing from the left and Kristoff attacked from the right.

Caught off guard, Dirk and Leen didn't stand a chance.

Leen instinctively reached to his waist for his throwing knives, but Kristoff was too fast, nailing Leen across the jaw with a simple but powerful straight punch which sent him sprawling to the ground. Dirk tried to get his own punch in, but Joris ducked under it, snapped his elbow up to crack him in the jaw, then threw a fast cross with his back hand to the side of Dirk's head. Dirk fell to the ground with a cry.

The whole attack took less than a minute.

Heaving more from burning anger than exertion, Kristoff ran towards the palace sled.

"Anna?" He cried, his voice laced with hope and desperation. He didn't immediately see her, but maybe she was lying down. "Anna?!"

But the sled was empty, save for the food.

Kristoff turned back on the men, his eyes flashing with rage. Storming over, he grabbed the dazed Leen by the collar and hoisted him to his feet.

"Where is she?!" he demanded. "WHERE IS SHE?"

Joris, meanwhile, had grabbed rope from Kristoff's sled, and was in the process of tying up a moaning Dirk.

"There are only three men here, Kristoff. I'm certain there were five."

Joris wasn't sure what the lower number meant, but the fact that Anna wasn't in the sled with these three wasn't good.

Kristoff gave Leen a violent shake. "Start talking!" he bellowed. "Where's Anna, and where are the other two?!"

"Anna…?" Leen repeated, licking at the blood on his teeth. His yellow eyes blinking slowly, gave Kristoff a look of feigned innocence. "Who's Anna…? I don't know any Anna…"


	6. Hunted

**A/N: Geez, you guys. Don't ask me how many times I re-wrote this chapter. Needless to say, it was a lot. I hope all my revisions were worth the wait! You guys all rock my world!  
**

**This chapter's shout out goes to Miss Elizabeth Lane, who likes my story so much, she's sharing it with her friends. Hi, friends! Thanks for reading!**

**As always, Frozen belongs to Disney.**

* * *

As Sven barked angrily at the thief from behind the sled, Kristoff sucked in the chilly night air through clenched teeth. He was trying to control the overwhelming urge to snap the man's scrawny neck. Anna was missing, possibly hurt, and this guy had the nerve to play dumb right now?! With a snarl, he kicked his leg out and around Leen, so that his calf pressed against the back of the man's knee, then gave him a push. With a cry, Leen fell helplessly backwards over Kristoff's planted leg and hit the ground hard; the wind knocked out of him.

Quickly lowering himself, the blond rammed one knee into Leen's chest, drawing out another cry. Kneeling across Leen's arm and using one hand to pin down his opposite shoulder, Kristoff wound up for a punch. "You don't know who Anna is, huh?" he growled, his voice low and thick with anger. "Let me give you a hint." He gave a nod to the thieves' stolen ride. "Those horses and sled you just showed up in belong to her. So I'm going to give you three seconds to tell me exactly where she is. Otherwise…" he pulled his fist back further, ready to strike. "I'm going to start breaking your bones."

Joris, kneeling on the ground as he finished hog-tying a very dazed Dirk, looked over in alarm. It was dark now, but he could just make out Kristoff's expression and realized in an instant that the man was actually serious. Kristoff had every intention of inflicting that kind of pain on this total stranger, without hesitation, if it meant getting Anna back. "No, Kristoff," he warned. "Do not act so hastily. We can get our answers without further violence."

Kristoff ignored Joris as the image of a well flashed through his mind.

"One…"

Joris stood in alarm as Leen struggled to move. "Hey, man!" the thief cried with growing panic. "I'm telling you, I don't know who Anna is. That sled was abandoned, okay?"

"Tell me the truth," Kristoff barked. "_Stop lying_."

Leen flailed as his ribs strained in his chest. Joris sensed Kristoff's control slowly slipping away. "Calm down," said firmly. "You're crushing him."

"_Two_…"

Was he too far gone? Was there any reason left? "Kristoff, listen to me," Joris commanded. "If you kill this man, you will carry that burden to your grave."

"_Don't kill me!_" Leen cried, seeing stars. "_I'm telling you I don't know who you're talking about!" _

"_Liar!" _Kristoff bellowed. He raised his fist high, eyes fiery with rage. "_WHERE IS SHE?"_

Joris bolted. He wasn't going to make it.

"_TH_ – "

"_SHE'S GONE!"_ Leen screamed.

There was a beat, and for one long, excruciating moment, no one moved.

"Gone?" Kristoff finally whispered, lowering his arm. His heart, he was certain, had stopped beating.

Joris approached the pair, processing the information. "What do you mean by 'gone'?" he asked slowly, looking down at the thief. "Do you mean to say she's escaped?"

When Leen hesitated, Kristoff immediately shifted more weight to his knee, straining Leen's ribs and drawing out an agonized groan. Leen realized he was about to be crushed. "Yeah," he wheezed. "That's exactly what I'm saying."

His heart in his throat, Kristoff grabbed onto Leen's collar with both hands, his words spilling out. "What happened? Where did she go? Is she – " he stopped suddenly as his brain slammed him with a very important piece of information.

Joris must have come to the same conclusion at that exact moment, because he looked to Kristoff just as an ashen-faced Kristoff turned to him. "Now we know where the other two men are." He gave a quick glance at the three remaining thieves. "And none of these men carries my sword," he said stonily.

A tremble that had nothing to do with the cold ran through Kristoff's body, sweeping out his raging anger and replacing it with an icy, crushing grip of terror. His mouth went dry as he forced out a shaky whisper. "They're hunting her down."

* * *

Anna was breathing hard. Her lungs burned, her leg muscled ached with exertion, her face was scratched from branches and red from the cold, and her entire body begged her to stop and rest.

"Come on," she gasped, stumbling her way through the forest. "Got-to keep-moving."

The sun had set not too long ago, giving Anna some idea as to how much time had passed since she'd made her escape. But despite the fact that she was running as fast as she could, having to navigate her way in growing darkness around trees, the uneven terrain, upturned roots, and having to free her cape each time it got caught on low lying branches were all factors which slowed her down. She had debated on just running straight down the road, but if the thieves were actually dumb enough to follow her, the many trees in the forest would at least limit their vision and make her harder to spot, especially in the dark. The road, on the other hand, was flat and smooth but also wide open. Besides, they couldn't follow her through the woods on a sled. The thieves would have to spread out their resources in order to go after her, and it was her hope that they wouldn't bother. Although, that creepy guy who kept calling her 'sweetheart' might just be crazy enough. He had been getting pretty weird back there, what with all the 'spicy' and 'fiery' comments. Anna suppressed a disgusted shudder.

Unfortunately, she wasn't exactly a graceful runner on the best of days, and was no doubt leaving one hell of a path for that Sem guy to follow – if he was even following her – but there was nothing she could do about that. It was still winter and unless she grew wings, he'd be able to follow her footprints until it was too dark to see no matter which way she ran. Her only real advantage right now was her head start. And although she had no way of knowing just how much of a head start it was, as long as she kept putting one foot of the other, she'd soon get back to Joris, and then they'd both get to Kristoff.

_Kristoff. _

Her heart ached to think of him. If Joris really was looking for her instead of heading to the lake, then right now, she imagined Kristoff was relaxing by a fire with the rest of his crew; laughing, talking over food, and mercifully in the dark as to what was happening. It was for the best. Once she and Joris found each other and were out of danger, Anna would be able to tell Kristoff the whole story from the safety of his strong embrace. She imagined he'd be very relieved they were both safe, and probably more than a little upset over what had happened. But it would be in the past at that point, and all she would need to do is kiss him in that special place on his neck and he'd know that everything was okay.

_I'm just glad,_ she thought in consolation, _that this is a _surprise _visit. You can't worry about what you don't know._

Although, if the roles were reversed, she'd want to know right away if Kristoff was in trouble.

_But you're not in trouble_, she reminded herself. _Sem didn't come after you, and you'll find Joris any min-_

"Augh!" she cried, tripping over an unseen root and twisting sideways. With no time to brace herself, Anna crashed to the forest ground, her head smacked off something hard. For more than a few minutes, she didn't move as stars danced before her eyes. "Oooh…that hurt," she finally moaned, sprawled out on her side in the snow and foliage.

Still dazed, she tried to stumble back to her feet, but quickly fell back down realized that her head wasn't the only thing causing her pain. Her left foot – specifically her ankle – was throbbing. She must have rolled it when she fell. Groaning, Anna thought back to the last and only other time she had sprained that same foot, trying to roller blade down the grand staircase when she was eleven. Her parents had been furious with her and she had cried and cried as her foot swelled bigger and bigger, the skin turning ugly shades of purple. Anna recalled with chagrin that it had taken over five weeks before she could walk on it without it hurting.

"You don't have five weeks," she grimaced pushing herself into a sitting position. "You don't even have five minutes. You can do this. Just find something to support yourself, and _get up_."

Scrambling to find purchase, Anna's hand came across something hard on the ground. It must have been what she had hit her head off of, and curious, she brushed the remaining snow away to take a look. It was a rock, about half the size of her fist.

_More ammunition. _

Earlier, she had stuffed the slingshot into the pocket on the inside of her cape. Snatching the rock up, she quickly added the stone in, then spread her arms wide feeling along the ground for more. Allowing herself a few minutes, she managed to pluck up a small handful. Dumping them all into the pocket, she started to feel a little bit better about her situation. "At least now I'm locked and loaded."

Crawling over to the nearest tree, a maple, she pulled herself up, putting as little weight on her ankle as she could manage. It was only once she was standing, one hand resting on the tree trunk for support, that Anna dared try using her left foot. But the moment it took on any weight, a burst of pain shot up her leg. "Okay, then," she murmured through grit teeth. "Definitely not running anymore."

Squinting her eyes in the darkness, she tried to find something to use as a crutch. "It could be worse," she told herself, trying to stay positive as she scanned her surroundings. "You could have broken your ankle instead of twisted it. Or a pack of wolves could have found you. Or Sem really did come after you and is looking for you right - "

"Well, well, well," came a haughty voice.

Anna gasped in shock as Sem rolled casually from around a tree, no more than a hundred feet away. His eyes flashed with delight and she watched, frozen in fear, as he carelessly swung Joris's sword.

"I missed you, sweetheart," he purred.


	7. Stalemate

**A/N: Here we go, friends. Chapter seven! One reader asked how many more chapters I expect the story to be, and my honest answer is – I don't know! I have plotted out the rest of the story in some detail, but it's hard to guess exactly how long each section will take. I'm thinking maybe another four, but it could end up being more. I certainly hadn't intended on the story already making it to chapter seven, so what do I know?**

**This chapter's thank you goes out to a very special man in my life, who let me practice all those fight moves on him from the last two chapters just so I could make them as accurate as possible. What a good sport.**

**Enjoy, and as always, Frozen belongs to Disney.**

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Tearing her hand off the maple tree, Anna yanked the slingshot from her pocket and aimed a rock at Sem. _Run_, her brain screamed. _RUN! _But that would be foolish. The minute she tried it would be obvious she was hurt, and something told her she couldn't let Sem find out. Besides, it would take no time for him to catch her if she did run. Was she standing straight enough? Could he tell she was injured? "Stay back," she barked. "Come any closer and you'll regret it!" Anna tried to look as menacing as she could, forcing down the waver in her voice.

Sem flashed her a cocky smile, his crooked teeth illuminated by the stars. "I'll regret it, will I? Sorry to break it to you, but you'll never hit me from all the way over there, sweetheart," he grinned.

Anna's heart skipped a beat as she realized he was right, and sensed that she was coming to a serious dilemma. No matter how hard she shot it, Anna was fairly certain that a rock travelling a hundred feet would lose too much momentum to do any lasting damage, and that was if she could even get a clean shot. Sem was straight in front of her, but there were two or three maple trees in between; their naked branches weighed down with snow. Even if the rock could travel the needed distance, he could easily take cover. Anna bit her lip, knowing that she needed Sem to come closer if she wanted to really hurt him, but at the same time knowing that she didn't want him to take another step in her direction.

"Tell you what," Sem teased. "Why don't you just run off again? I enjoyed chasing after you. I found it…" he paused and in the light of the stars Anna could clearly see his wolfish expression. "…._exhilarating."_

His words sent a chill through Anna, and she had to force herself to keep still; force herself to stand her ground. "I'm done running," she snapped, keeping the slingshot poised and taunt. "You don't scare me." It was a lie, but she pushed the words out anyway. Her head was throbbing, her left ankle pulsed in pain, but she needed to sound as unaffected as Sem. She had to prove that his creepiness wasn't getting to her. Even though it was.

Sem gave a long sigh, which sounded a little too thick with infatuation for Anna's liking. "Oh, sweetheart," he cooed, placing a hand on his chest. "You don't know what you do to me."

He took a step forward and Anna was about to let the rock fly when a noise to her right startled her.

"Don't even try it, girlie," came a voice.

With a gasp, Anna whipped her arms towards the voice and released her ammo with a snap. The rock hurdled towards a man who had popped out from behind a tree a mere twenty feet away. He pivoted, but wasn't fast enough. The rock struck him in the shoulder with a hard _thwack _and he cursed loudly. Anna vaguely recognized him as one of the four other men who had attacked her and Joris, and she quickly reached into her pocket for another rock. _Now there are two of them, _she realized with growing panic.

"Why you little…" the man hissed, using the moment of distraction to storm towards her. His hands were raised, poised to clamp around her neck.

Heart in her throat, Anna fumbled to reload the weapon. _Hurry. HURRY._ Raising it up, she prepared to to fire when –

"Pim, stop," Sem barked. Both the man and Anna froze, just ten feet apart, and turned their eyes to Sem. He was leaning casually against the tree he emerged from, surveying the scene with an unimpressed glare. Raising Joris's sword, he pointed it accusingly at the man. "I thought I told you to stay back." He looked to Anna and gave a knowing smile, as if they shared some secret. "I didn't want any interruptions."

Anna breathed hard, feeling her stomach turn.

"Yeah, but…" Pim started.

"But nothing. You've ruined the moment." Sem swung the sword in the direction of the path. "Now go make yourself useful – find the others and bring them all here like a good dog."

Eyes wide, Anna stared at Pim, studying his ragged face closely in the stars' glow; his small, beady eyes, crooked nose, scowling mouth. He was too close to her. Would he listen to Sem, or would he…? Heart in her throat, she pulled the slingshot back hard and aimed at Pim's chest. He was so close she could probably break a rib with the right shot. "You'd better go," she warned, trying to swallow her panic. "Or this is going to hurt a lot more than your shoulder."

Pim's scowl deepened for a moment, then a thought crossed his face and the scowl turned into a seer. "Make your threats now," he murmured. "While you still can." Then he was gone.

Gripping the slingshot, Anna stood completely still. Pim's parting words had caused her entire body to become stiff with fright. She couldn't even lower her arms. Heart hammering, she tried to inhale slowly. _Don't listen to him_, she told herself. _He's just trying to scare you. _Anna didn't want to admit that it was working.

"Alone again," Sem hummed, his voice cutting through her thoughts like a bad note. He advanced casually, which snapped her aim in his direction.

"I said _stay back._" Anna tried to sound angry, but her voice betrayed her by cracking. She didn't want him anywhere near her. Everything he says, everything he does just puts her more on edge. Sem was still too far away for any attack to be effective, but she desperately lets the rock go anyway, and it's sent zipping through the air. Even in the darkness, she could see when it started to dip. Although she had aimed for his torso, by the time the rock reached Sem he had pivoted to the side and with a soft _thwack _it caught him in the arm.

"Mmmm….." Sem murmured, with a look that Anna could only describe as pleasure. "That hurt."

Anna's stomach rolled with nausea as she realized what he had said. He liked it. He had actually _liked _that she'd hit him. Quickly loading another rock and taking aim, she felt a bead of cold sweat form on her temple as a terrifying understanding formed in her mind: forget creepy - the man was sick. And he was coming for her. Was hitting him with rocks even going to do any good? And what would happen when she ran out? Her hands began shaking and her right leg ached as she continued to balance all her weight onto it. She thought again about running, but doesn't want to imagine what would happen if she did. _Keep it together, Anna,_ she willed herself. _You have to keep it together for Kristoff. If you want to see him again, you have to fight for it. _With that in mind, Anna gritted her teeth and released the rock from the slingshot.

Sem had closed a tenth of the distance, and barely turned as the rock whizzed towards him. It clipped his collarbone and he gave what Anna could swear was a low moan.

_This is bad, _she thought. _This is so bad._

Looking at her, the glow from the stars casting him in eerie white, Sem gave a loaded half-smile. "I'm glad you haven't run out of fire just yet. I was starting to worry."

"I'm not afraid of you," Anna countered, readying the slingshot again. And it was truth; she's wasn't afraid of him. She was terrified.

Sem's smile grew menacing and he gave a mirthless chuckle that sent shivers down her spine. "Glad to hear it. Can't wait to see just how long it lasts once the boys come back with your solider."

Anna froze. "Come back with…?" she whispered.

"I like you, sweetheart," Sem continued, unaffected. "But what kind of example would I set if I didn't punish you for breaking your promise?"

The world spun. "...promise?"

"Oh, yes," Sem chided, taking a few slow steps towards her. "You said you wouldn't run away if we didn't hurt the solider. I was going to abide by that, but…" his eyes darken. "You go back on your promise, and I go back on mine."

"No…" Anna stammered, as all the pieces fit into place. This was why it had just been Sem and Pim who had followed her. This was why Sem had sent Pim away. The other three had gone to capture Joris, and now Pim would lead them back here, and… She felt her grip on the slingshot weakening. "No, you…you can't…"

"Oh, but I can, sweetheart." He gave Joris's sword a quick swing. "And I will."

Seeing the weapon in his hand suddenly jogged Anna's memory. "No, you can't" she repeated, staring at the blade. She felt a small bit of confidence grow inside her. "You _can't. _Because Joris has _your _sword and they'll never take him down." Granted, the weapon was rusted and old, but he is the best swordsman she knows. That had to count for something against three men, she reasoned. Assuming the wolves hadn't found him first.

Sem was unfazed by her words. In fact, he actually laughed. It was the coldest and most heartless laugh Anna had ever heard. "Doubt it." He smirked, as he eased in another couple of steps in her direction. "Even if that's true, a smart man would surrender." He gestured around them, as if the answer was obvious. "I've got you trapped here. When Pim tracks them down, that's all he'll need to say, and the soldier will come along quietly. Unless, of course, he _wants _me to hurt you." Sem flashed her a knowing look. "And who would want that?"

"No," Anna snapped, squeezing the slingshot tight. Her arms were starting to burn from holding it in position, but she pulled it back further. "You're not going to hurt him. I won't let you." Without thinking, she took a step forward with her left foot. The moment her weight shifted onto her injury, pain shot up her leg and she sucked in an icy lungful of air. Retreating back onto her right foot, Anna squeezed her eyes shut, afraid to look at Sem. Had he noticed? Please, please don't let him have noticed. She darted a glance his way, and immediately her heart sank.

Even from this distance, Anna could see that Sem's eyes had a wicked sparkle to them. He continued to watch her, studying her, and slowly, a wolfish smile began to spread cross his thin lips. "Sweetheart, did you hurt yourself? Is this why you won't run for me?" His eyes darken as he shook his head slowly. "Pity."


	8. Cat and Mouse

**A/N: Hey, friends. Sorry for the wait – this was another chapter that ended up having a ton of revisions. Pacing is haaaard. And also because of the pacing, I didn't want to drag things out too much so this chapter's a bit shorter than usual. Don't worry, I'm sure I'll make it up to you all somewhere. I **_**think **_**this story's going to be another five chapters (including an epilogue), so I have lots of chances. And things are about to really heat up!**

**A big shout out to Elven Silver Power Ranger who asked me to please update soon with 144 'please's. That is dedication for you.**

**Enjoy! Frozen belongs to Disney!**

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_They're hunting her down. _

The thought turned Kristoff's blood to lead. Digging his knee into Leen's chest, he turned his eyes from Joris to the endless expanse of moonlit woods that surrounded them. "Anna..." his voice crackled, brittle with fear. She was out there somewhere; somewhere in that mass of trees and snow, maybe injured and in pain, maybe wandering lost or starting to freeze. She was out there – and she was being followed. Hunted like an animal. Tracked down by men who could have every intention of harming her. Hands shaking, Kristoff held tight to Leen's collar. The man struggled for breath beneath him, but he hardly noticed. Anna was still in danger and as terrifying as that grim reality was, it was even more terrifying to think that it could actually be her best case scenario. Her all alone in the woods and running scared from two men was actually the lesser of two evils and he almost, _almost _hoped it's what she was doing. Because if she wasn't… Kristoff swallowed the lump in his throat as his stomach churned. He didn't want to think about it. Not even consider it. The alternatives were just so, so much worse.

_Just get to her_, he told himself_. Just go. Now._

Kristoff leapt to his feet, releasing Leen and leaving the gasping thief to suck in pained lungfuls of air. Dodging around Joris, Kristoff burst into a sprint and blindly ran down the path towards the woods. Vaguely he registered the sound of Sven's hooves smacking against the snowy ground after him, barely heard over the sound of his own hammering heart. All his thoughts were pushed away as his mind honed in on one, single goal: he had to find Anna. He had to protect her. He had to –

"Kristoff, _wait,_" Joris commanded.

Lurching to a halt just as he reached the tree line, Kristoff turned back in disbelief. Even Sven came up short, looking confused. "Wait?" Kristoff snapped. "What do you mean 'wait'?" He gestured helplessly towards the woods. "She's _out there_. We have to find her!"

Joris had moved quickly, snatching up the long length of rope left over from hog-tying Dirk. "And we will, Kristoff. We will," he said with clipped authority. "But we must do so smartly. Running wild into the forest unarmed and without proper direction is foolish at best, and dangerous at worst." Leen was trying to squirm away, but Joris roughly flipped the man onto his front, intent on tying him up. "We must use our time wisely by finding where she escaped," he continued, binding Leen's wrists together. "Then it is simply a matter of following her tracks from – "

"You're too late," a rough voice cut in.

Joris, Kristoff, and Sven all whipped their heads in surprise towards the sound and discovered the bear-like Ton staring back at them, still flat on his back since Sven had kicked him in the chest and knocked him to the ground. They had nearly forgotten the man.

Kristoff's heart skipped a beat. _Too late? _ "No," he barked, his voice spiked with fear. "We're not. You -"

"Sem and Pim went after her," Ton rasped as he struggled to pull himself onto his side. He must have been in immense pain, with multiple smashed ribs from the reindeer's powerful kick. The simple act of breathing must have been unbearable. "Pim's a good enough tracker and all," the man wheezed, his forehead glistening with sweat, "but with the snow on the ground even that fat idiot Dirk could just follow the girlie's footprints." He nodded to the rotund man, quietly moaning on his large belly with his wrists and ankles bound together. Then Ton turned to Joris, who had paused in tying Leen's hands. "You got the right idea, soldier, using the girlie's own footprints to figure out where she went." Ton smirked, seeing he had the man's undivided attention. "But so did Sem and Pim, and those two had one helluva head start." Ton then shifted his focus to Kristoff, giving him a knowing look. "Sure she got away, but I'd bet it didn't take them long to find her. 'Specially since Sem was all…_eager_…to get her back."

Kristoff lurched forward, visibly shaken. _Eager…? _ Balling his trembling fists, he tried to stave off his growing panic as tendrils of fear snaked through him. _Don't, don't, don't. Don't think about why._ But his brain betrayed him anyway, whispering some very real reasons for this Sem person wanting a feisty, young, and beautiful woman like Anna back in his clutches.

Ton watched in satisfaction as Kristoff stumbled, clearly in distress. It was almost pathetic the way he so thoroughly bought into Ton's words, but then, his actions were giving him away, making it completely obvious that he cared deeply for the girl. And with such an easy weakness to exploit, Kristoff was easy prey. Of course, Sem had sent Ton and the others to retrieve the soldier, so they had no idea whether he and Pim currently had the girl. But that was irrelevant. All Ton had to do was _convince _Kristoff and Joris that this was the case, through whatever means necessary, and he could still turn his failed mission around. Ton narrowed his eyes at Kristoff and pictured the knife tucked up against his back. With a malicious smile, he began to slowly inch his hand towards it. Yes, the situation had changed, but he _would_ turn this around. All he had to do was get Kristoff close enough.

"I'd bet it took them all of ten minutes to nab her," Ton continued, watching his prey closely. The man looked stricken, racked with fear for the girl's safety, and Ton knew exactly what sort of lies would rile him. "Girlie's got some spirit, sure, but she doesn't stand a chance." He threw a smirk at Kristoff. "Not when Sem already roughed her up."

Joris cursed, Sven whinnied, and Kristoff completely blanched.

Amused by the power of his words, Ton gave a wheezing cackle as his hand crept slowly closer to his knife. His prey was too distracted to notice – proving just how easy it was to defeat a man who thought with his heart and not his head.

Joris was the first to recover. "Pay him no heed, Kristoff," he ordered, determined to sound unaffected. "These are not truthful men." Focusing back to tying Leen's wrists, he hastily continued. "Now, take Sven and – "

But Kristoff wasn't listening. Breathing hard, he couldn't decide whether to run or scream or find Sem and break every single bone in his body. "I swear," he growled, his voice beginning to shake with anger. "If Anna has even a scratch on her, I'll – "

"Trust me, kid, she's got more than a scratch. Sem ain't the gentle type." Ton gave a snarl. "He's the play-with-his-food-before-he-eats-it type. Too bad for the girlie, 'cause I can tell you this; blue and black ain't her colours." He smirked as what he had alluded to caused Kristoff's fists to tightly clench.

Sucking in a long breath, Kristoff gave Ton a murderous look and started to walk purposefully towards him. His building anger was drawing him back towards the man, itching for someone to aim it at. And if Sem wasn't there, then Ton was going to get it for him.

_And here he comes_, Ton thought with anticipation. His hand was inches from the handle of his knife. _Come on over, kid. Come in real close. _

"Kristoff, do not listen to him. He is trying to goad you and waste our time," Joris warned, trying hard to keep calm. Thinking of what Ton said, he reminded himself that these were not men who could be trusted. Swallowed his anger, Joris focused hard on the task at hand. Bending back Leen's feet, he hurriedly threw the rope around the man's ankles. The sooner he finished immobilizing these men, the sooner they could leave without fear of being followed. "You must believe Anna is unharmed. Focus on that. Focus on finding her and – "

Ton cut in again. "Maybe if you ask me real nice, I'll see if Sem will hand the girlie back once he's done with her," he taunted. His hand closed around the knife's handle. "Whatever's left of her, anyway. Can't say there'll be much."

That was it for Kristoff. Whatever self control he had been holding onto broke in that moment. With a yell, he charged towards Ton.

"What's the matter, tough guy?" Ton teased as Kristoff closed the distance between. "Don't like hearing about what Sem's been doing to your little girlie?" He readied the knife. "Don't like hearing how Sem's gonna take that little firecracker and _break _her?"

"That's_ enough_!" Kristoff screamed. Reaching Ton, he swung his fist and punched the man in the jaw with all his might. Ton fell onto his back with a grunt, but Kristoff leaned down and grabbing him hard by the collar, hoisting him back into a sitting position. "I'm going to find Anna," Kristoff snarled over Ton with bubbling fury. "And you'd better pray that I don't find Sem instead, because if I do and he has even _looked _at her the wrong way," he narrowed his eyes; completely determined. "I'm going to kill him."

Ton gave a victorious smile, his teeth red with blood. "Not if you're already dead," he spat. Then he swung his blade.


	9. Into the Darkness

**A/N: Wow, friends. I said you'd probably be getting a longer chapter to make up for the last one being on the short side, but this even exceeded **_**my **_**expectations. Hope you enjoy extra craziness. Things aren't looking too good for our heroes.**

**Shout out to WritingIsMyHobby. Looks like you're going to have to hunt Ton down after all! Let me know if you need help. ;)**

**As always, Frozen belongs to Disney.**

* * *

A flash of silver was all the warning Kristoff had. Crying out in surprise, he threw himself backwards to avoid the swing of the knife in the same moment it caught his left side. The blade sliced across a few inches of clothing, flesh, and muscle, just below Kristoff's ribs, as he reared back. Blood fanned out across the snow, but he was lucky. The blade had missed the most of him. A second too late, and the entire length of his torso would have been slashed wide open.

Kristoff hit the ground with a thud, clamping both hands over his searing wound. He couldn't tell how deep it was, but could feel warm blood seeping through his clothes and onto his gloves. Gasping, he squeezed his eyes shut from the burning pain. He heard Joris shout his name in alarm, and Sven's hooves charging towards him.

Ton started a mirthless laugh. "You're fast, kid, I'll give you that." Suddenly he was on his knees beside Kristoff, raising the knife above his head with one hand, and pinning Kristoff in place with the other. "But I won't miss this time."

Joris reached them just as Ton thrust downwards for the killing blow. Diving, Joris tackled Ton from the side and sent them both sprawling to the ground. Ton slashed his knife, but Joris continued rolling, avoiding the blade and putting some distance between them before jumping to his feet. Then, just as Ton got to his knees, Joris came around behind him, snapped his knee up, pivoted his back leg, and launched a solid roundhouse kick to the back of Ton's head. Hitting its mark with a satisfying _thwump! _Joris retracted his foot and Ton fell face first and unconscious into the snow.

"Ton? Ton!?" It was the yellow-eyed Leen, twisting in his binding from the ground, trying to see what had happened.

"Quiet, thief," Joris snapped. "He's been disposed of." Breathing hard, he looked over at Kristoff, who had managed to stumble to his feet with the help of Sven. In the moonlight, Joris caught the dark splotches of blood left behind in the snow. "How bad is it?" he asked, drawing close.

But once again, Kristoff wasn't really listening. Something else had stolen his attention, and his eyes bore down at the long blade in Ton's slack hand, the edge red with his blood. Holding a hand to his open wound, Kristoff's angry gaze went from the weapon to Ton's face as he made the connection. "It was him, wasn't it…" he growled fiercely.

"What's that?" Joris gave a quick glance at Ton in confusion. "What are you – "

"He's the one who held Anna at knife-point." Kristoff was very quiet. His voice was low and dangerous, and Joris could see his shoulders shaking in anger.

The captain held his tongue. He had realized who Ton was some time earlier, but had purposely not mentioned this to Kristoff for this very reason. "Come," he said, going for a distraction. "We must tend to your wound and carry on. Anna needs us." Joris moved towards Kristoff with the intention of getting a better look at the knife slash. "We brought no medical supplies in our own sled. Do you carry any in yours?"

Kristoff glared angrily down at Ton for a few more moments, digesting Joris's words. Then, with sudden urgency, he moved towards his sled. "No," he said bluntly. In his mind's eye, Kristoff could again see the well. He could feel himself being pulled towards it. Injury or not, he had no time for anything else.

"No matter. We will make due." Joris replied. He followed briskly behind, thinking quickly of what could be used for compression and make-shift wrappings. Perhaps that old sword could be used to cut up a blanket.

Kristoff hurried behind the sled and picked up the old, rusted sword that Joris had left hiding on the ground. He studied it for a moment, and tested the weight in his hand. It seemed to Joris that he had the same idea. But instead of finding a blanket to cut up, Kristoff tucked the sword against his side, using his woven belt as a holster.

"Let's go, Sven," Kristoff muttered darkly.

Joris looked on in shocked surprise as Sven quickly hurried over to his friend. "Kristoff, you cannot be serious. You have an injury. It needs to be treated."

"I'll be fine."

"No. Stay where you are," Joris barked, hurrying around the sled to block their way. "Without proper compression, you'll continue to bleed." Kristoff mounted Sven, paying no attention. "Any strenuous activity will cause you to lose blood faster. You're no good to Anna like this. You're…"

Kristoff gave Sven a nudge with his heel, and they darted around Joris before he could grab them.

"_Stop, _Kristoff! _Stop!_" Joris yelled, giving chase. "This is madness! You still don't know where she's gone! You're running blind. You will accomplish nothing but blood loss!" But it was too late. Kristoff and Sven were already melding into the darkness of the woods.

"The fool," Joris hissed. He had feared this would happen and had tried hard to avoid it, but now his fears had come to fruition: Kristoff was out of control. The man had become so ensnared in his own feelings that he was now a complete liability. And that meant that Joris was now, for all intents and purposes, on his own. He paced in frustration, trying to decide his next move. With Kristoff roaming blindly through the forest, Joris needed more resources. He could use Ton's knife as a weapon, but he needed the assistance of people who wouldn't lose their heads and could be depended on to help rescue the princess – and now possibly Kristoff. Of course, the ice harvesters were his closest allies, but even using one of the two horses from the palace sled, Joris couldn't afford the time it would take to travel to Lake Amstel and back. He had to go after Anna, but also somehow send the ice harvesters a message, communicating his need for aid. But how?

There was a rustle in Kristoff's sled, and Joris ceased his pacing. Something was in there. Something alive, and growing restless. The captain fixed his eyes on the sled, confused. At first, he thought that perhaps a rabbit or some other small animal had jumped into it and was scurrying around looking for food. Then, there was a small _caw _and Joris's face broke into a victorious smile as he realized what exactly was moving around.

Joris rushed towards the sled, a plan forming in his brain. This was exactly what he needed.

* * *

Heart pounding, Anna aimed the slingshot at Sem's chest, wishing she hadn't taken that step. Her stupid twisted ankle had given her away, and now – now Sem knew he had her trapped.

"Already being hurt takes some of the fun out of it, you know," her assailant mused. "It makes the chase just a little less challenging. Just a little less interesting. Like a wolf hunting down an injured deer. It makes the kill a little less…_satisfying._"

Anna swallowed a lump in her throat, frightened by the analogy. "Don't come any closer," she croaked in warning, barely able to make herself audible. "Or we'll see who the injured one is."

Sem gave an infatuated sigh. "I do love that about you. Nowhere to run, no one to turn to, nothing but a couple of pebbles to defend yourself, and yet…" he gave a shrug, as if he couldn't explain it. "Still making threats." Sem narrowed his eyes at her. "That can't be easy. Especially when you must know that once I'm done with the soldier, it'll be _your _turn."

_My turn...?_

Anna's grip on the slingshot slipped as her fear bubbled into undeniable panic. She'd been so focused on finding Joris and getting to Kristoff that she hadn't thought too hard about much else. But Sem's words had bowled her over with something very, very real and very, very terrifying: if Sem had his way, neither she nor Joris were getting out of this in one piece. Anna could feel the blood drain from her face as the panic rose into her throat. _What am I going to do?_, she thought frantically. _What am I going to do?!_

Sem took that opportunity to move another few paces in her direction, closing the gap by several more feet.

"Stay - stay back!" Anna's words were now a shriek. Too overcome with fear, she stumbled backwards instead of firing the rock, and fell against the hard trunk of the maple tree.

"Oh, sweetheart, did I scare you?" Sem chided. "I thought you knew. I thought you knew what happens to fire." He took another few steps, and Anna's hands flew behind her to the trunk of the tree, scrambling to hold herself up. "Fire," Sem continued, "can rage and burn and cause a whole ton of damage. You've gotta treat it with kid gloves, because it just wants to hurt you. But add the right amount of water and _poof _– it goes out and there's nothing left but smoke." He gave Anna a wicked smile, taking in her terrified expression. "You're all fire, sweetheart, I can't _wait_ to find out exactly how much water I need to slowly, carefully, put you out."

_No, _Anna's mind screamed. _No, no, no, NO!_

Desperate, she looked around her for an escape. She had to get out of there. She had to get away _somehow_. She had to –

Anna froze as her eyes fell on the branches of the maple above her. The tree. The branches. She couldn't run, but could she…climb? Over the summer, she had begged Kristoff to teach her how to mountain climb until he finally negotiated her down to tree climbing. But he'd insisted on tying a rope around her waist just in case she fell, and had never let her climb too high. Could she do it now, without him there to spot her, and with an injured leg?

Anna set her teeth, willing the panic back down her throat. It was worth a shot.

Stuffing the slingshot and rock back into the pocket of her cape, Anna looked frantically for the closest, lowest branch. Spotting it, just to the side and a foot above her, she half hobbled and half hopped over to it, then planted her right foot and jumped with all her might. Catching the branch, she pulled herself up and swung a leg over.

Sem began to approach the tree, bemused, but in no hurry. "Well, aren't you just full of surprises," he said, watching Anna carefully rise to a stand. Her right foot balanced precariously on the branch as she reached for the next closest one. "Just when I thought the game was over, you found a way to keep it going."

Anna ignored him, too focused on her very dangerous climb. The branches were covered in snow. It was dark. She couldn't put much weight on her left foot. There were too many things that could go wrong, and she could practically hear Kristoff's voice in her head screaming _What are you doing? Be careful! BE CAREFUL! _So carefully, oh, so carefully, she continued upwards, painfully aware that one wrong move would have her falling to her death. Would Sem climb after her? It was her plan to climb up high enough that he wouldn't be able to, but when she dared a quick glance down she saw that he was now standing at the base of the tree, smirking up at her. _Okay, maybe he's not going to climb up after all_, she thought hopefully. Did that mean that if the other thieves didn't find Joris, she could just wait him out? Would she be so lucky?

After several more minutes, Anna was about twenty feet up and, feeling confident that Sem wasn't coming after her, took the opportunity to rest. Her limbs ached, her ankle ached, her head throbbed, and she was exhausted. Sitting on the branch she'd reached, she hugged the tree's trunk and tried to catch her breath.

"Done for now?"

It was Sem. He was still looking up at her with a smirk and had slung Joris's sword over his shoulder like a bat. Anna didn't reply.

"I bet you're wondering if I'm going to chase up after you," he continued, "and my answer is no."

Anna perked up. She couldn't believe her ears. She _would _wait him out.

Sem gave the sword a swing, again like a bat. "Why would I bother, really, when I have this handy, sharp axe-like weapon in my hands and nothing but time to kill until my boys show up with your soldier?" He eyed the tree, and Anna's hope fell away to a rising panic in her stomach.

_He…he wasn't serious._

"Doubt I'll get far before they get back," Sem continued casually. "Trunk's pretty thick – but might as well start now. It'll take a while." He looked back up at Anna's stricken face and gave her a wink. "Just don't fall out when the tree shakes, all right?"

_No. Please, please no._

Grabbing tightly to the trunk, Anna could only watch in helpless horror as Sem gave a few practice swings. He was really going to do it. He was really going to cut the tree down. Holding back a sob, she turned her gaze up, looking through the canopy of branches at the twinkling stars. There was something so unfair about it all. She had done everything she could think of, and it still hadn't been enough. Tears stung her eyes and she squeezed them shut. "Kristoff…I'm sorry..." Anna whispered. "I don't know what else to do. I'm so sorry…I just wanted to see you. I just…" Anna stifled another sob as she looked down to see Sem winding up like a batter for a real swing. The panic rose into her throat, threatening to burst out in an ear-piercing scream. "Kristoff…" she rasped, holding onto the trunk for dear life.

* * *

Sven sped through the moonlit forest, ducking around branches and leaping over tree roots as Kristoff tried not to fall off. His one hand held tightly to the reindeer's mane, but the other was pressed against the angry, open wound on his torso.

"Faster, buddy. Come on," Kristoff urged.

Sven obeyed, pushing forward, shifting this way and that through the snow-covered foliage. And with every dodge and turn, Kristoff would have to grab onto the reindeer's mane with his free hand in order to avoid a tumble. Each time his hand was pulled away, a few red droplets would fly through the air and Sven's fur would be smeared from his blood-soaked glove. Adrenaline was dulling the pain of his injury, but it was hard to ignore the fact that the bleeding hadn't stopped.

Scanning all around, Kristoff focused on searching the darkness for some sign of Anna. There wasn't a single clue yet, but he pressed desperately on hoping to find something soon. Part of him couldn't help but feel like it was July all over again – he and Sven racing for Anna, time against them, unsure of where exactly she was, but knowing she was in danger. At least they were on solid ground this time, and not a cracking river of -

_THUNK!_

Kristoff yanked Sven to a halt; instantly feeling a sense of unease as hairs stood on the back of his neck. "What the…?" he murmured.

_THUNK! _

Heaving with exertion, Sven's ears twitched nervously as he strained to pinpoint the sound. It echoed all around them, but seemed to be coming from straight ahead.

_THUNK!_

What was going on? The noise was making Kristoff increasingly nervous. Was someone cutting down a tree?

_THUNK!_

"_KRISTOFF!"_

Sven couldn't stop himself. Startled and distressed, he whinnied and reared back as if he'd be struck. Unprepared and too shocked to react, Kristoff was unable to hang on. Falling backwards, the wind was knocked out of him as he landed hard on his back. Frantic, he scrambled to get up. _That was Anna, _his mind raced. _THAT WAS ANNA. _

Sven hopped crazily, prodding Kristoff urgently with his muzzle, trying to get him to stand. _I'm sorry_, the reindeer's eyes seemed to say. _I'm sorry! But hurry!_

Gasping for air, Kristoff tried to speak, tried to return Anna's call of distress, but he had nothing in his lungs. Clutching his bleeding wound, he ignored the ache in his back and managed to get to his feet with Sven's assistance. His head spun. He could barely breathe. The sound of Anna's voice – the terror in it – echoed in his brain. He was going to be sick. "_Anna_," he managed to wheeze. Kristoff noticed that the woods suddenly became quiet, and he wondered with a shiver what that meant. But before he could hastily drag himself onto Sven's back, there was a new noise. One much closer. One that caused both Kristoff and Sven to freeze in place.

It was a growl.

"_No…_" Kristoff begged, feeling Sven tense up beside him. _No…no…NO!_

Slowly, he turned his head towards the sound, but there was really no need because he already knew what he'd find. The only real question was: how many. He turned, and saw the trees seem to move with grey mangy fur. He saw glimmers of pointed, snapping teeth. And he counted four pairs of glowing yellow eyes staring back at him, through the darkness of the woods.

Wolves.

Kristoff didn't need to wonder how they'd found him. Not when the snow behind them was scattered with small, dark dots. He'd left them a trail to follow with his blood. He had turned them into easy prey, begging to be hunted down. Jumping onto Sven's back as he yelled for the reindeer to go, Sven lurched forward. Wasting no time, he charged straight ahead, towards the direction of Anna's voice. The wolves jumped quickly after them.

"No, Sven!" Kristoff jerked his friend hard to the left, and the reindeer immediately changed course. "We can't lead them towards her – she's already in enough dangerous. We'll lose them first, then double back."

Sven snorted an understanding over the sound of barks and snarls. Kristoff stole a glance behind him to see the four wolves hot on their trail, and pushed the reindeer on.

_I'll come back for you, __A__nna, _Kristoff thought. As they fled, he strained his ears to listen for any other sounds coming from her direction, but he could hear nothing over the thunder of hooves and paws._ Please, please just hang on a little longer. _He tried not to think about the terror and desperation in her voice as she'd screamed his name. He tried not to think that, despite everything they'd been through together, he'd never heard her sound so afraid. And despite everything, he'd never felt so helpless. _ I'll do anything_, he begged the quiet night sky_. Anything. Just please...please let her be okay._ But the stars and moon twinkled silently down on him, unaware or uncaring, or both. Holding tight with both hands to Sven's mane, they charged deeper and deeper into the woods. And with every pounding gallop taking him further away from Anna, Kristoff tried not to think of how much worse the night was about to get.


	10. Things with Teeth

**A/N: Dear Lord, I must really, really, really love you all because I've been sick for the past week – too sick to even go out for New Year's! - but apparently not sick enough to stop my fingers from typing away. I know a whole bunch of you were hoping I'd get this chapter up a little early, but I think it would have killed me and I already feel half dead. Also, my man has strep throat. It's just one big party at our place!**

**Anyway, I hope everyone had a good New Years and that it was infinitely more fun than mine…although mine did involve making certain fictional characters' lives miserable. That was fun in its own way. ;) **

**Big shout out to eyes-cannot-hide-the-lies. I hope you've stopped screaming at this point. Muahahahaha.**

**Frozen: it's not mine. Not even a little.**

* * *

Sem stopped cutting down the tree the moment Anna screamed Kristoff's name. Amused, he casually rested the sword against his shoulder and looked up at her in question. "Funny – could have sworn you said the soldier's name was 'Boris'…maybe 'Poris'…?" His eyes glinted with teasing.

Anna was shaking. With one hand, she held her mouth shut to stop anything else from uncontrollably bursting out. She had never screamed like that before; never with such unbridled, unchecked, and unmistakable terror. Her throat felt completely raw.

When she didn't answer, Sem gave a careless shrug, drew back the sword for another swing and –

"Joris," she rasped, moving her hand away. "His name is Joris."

Sem paused and Anna braced herself against the tree, ready for it to rattle again when the blade slammed into its wood. But instead, Sem lowered the weapon and leaned a contemplative hand on the bark.

"So this _Kristoff_ is…?"

His voice was casual but when their eyes met again, Anna could see even from twenty feet up that the wheels were spinning in his head – calculating, plotting, and conniving. She saw an undercurrent of something violent.

Anna stifled a gasp. What had she done? What had she given away by screaming Kristoff's name? Had she just put him in danger? Had she just tipped Sem off that -

_Wait, _she thought, trying to calm her frayed nerves. _No. Just because you said his name, doesn't mean Sem knows he's at the lake. He couldn't figure it out just from that. Kristoff is safe. He's safe with the other ice harvesters. Just don't give Sem any more ideas, and he'll stay that way._

Sem's voice fluttered up in sing-song. "Who is he, sweetheart?"

"He's…he's…" Anna wracked her addled brain trying to think of the right kind of answer.

Who was Kristoff? She couldn't help a small, tearful smile. He was a man who treated her with dignity and respect, gentleness and kindness. He was the ice harvester whose every kiss gave her butterflies. The one she laughed with, adventured with, shared her innermost thoughts with. He was the one who kept up with her. Teased her. Tempered her. The one who held her in his arms and made her feel like nothing else in the world mattered but the two of them. The answer was obvious: Kristoff was the most important man in Anna's life.

And she wanted this psychopath to stay as far away from him as possible.

Anna cleared her throat and tried to sound flippant. "He's no one."

Sem's face immediately lit up in a devious, chilling way, and Anna realized in an instant that she had chosen exactly the wrong words.

"No one, hmm?" he mused, studying her carefully. "All the people in the world, and you scream his name then expect me to believe he's no one?" Sem moved his hand off the tree and dramatically threw it over his heart, looking wounded. "Sweetheart, I'm insulted. He's clearly a _some_one. In fact…" He paused, wheels turning, watching her.

Anna tried to maintain a blank expression, but could practically see the pieces fitting together in his head.

She held her breath.

He narrowed his eyes.

"Something tells me he's one of the ice harvesters you were going on about earlier. The ones you said you and the soldier were bringing all that food and drink for."

"No!_" _Anna denied. But it was too fast. Too full of fear. Her reaction all but confirmed the guess.

Sem's face darkened as a wolfish smile spread across his lips. "No, huh?" His smile grew wider, revealing his yellowed teeth. "Forget the soldier. This…this is near _perfection_."

Anna's heart pounded in her chest. _Idiot! _She screamed at herself. _You are such an idiot! How did you manage to screw this up so badly?!_

Panic swirled through her as she locked eyes first on the sword in Sem's hand, then his malicious expression. Anyone could have figured out what he was thinking - the grand scheme was practically written on his face. He was going to lure Kristoff in, away from Lake Amstel and the safety of the other ice harvesters. He would separate Kristoff from the rest of his crew, then use Joris's sword to…to…

"Whatever you're planning, it won't work." Anna's voice shook unapologetically as she grasped at her last wisps of hope. "I know I said before that they were all waiting for us, but that was a lie. They have no idea I'm here. Kristoff will never believe you. He'll never come."

Sem was eyeing her again. Calculating. Plotting. "Come on, sweetheart. Fiery little thing like you?" The malevolent grin was plastered on his face. "Of _course _he will."

* * *

Joris held tightly to the breaststrap of the palace horse as it thundered down the path. Following the sled's tracks in the snow, he wondered how much further it would be until he found where Anna had made her escape. He also wondered if too much time had been spent writing his message and dealing with the three thieves. Ton had to be tied up, and the one whose chest had nearly been crushed by Kristoff's knee required a sharp kick to the back of the head to cease his belligerence. Then, last minute, Joris had used Ton's knife to cut three wide strips out of a blanket in the palace sled, and used the strips as over the mouth gags for all three of the thieves. Satisfied that they were fully incapacitated, Joris had armed himself with Ton's knife, unharnessed one of the horses, and sped off. The thieves would be properly dealt with – eventually – but until then they could lay in the snow and freeze.

Or perhaps some wolves would find -

It happened so fast, there was no time to react. A man materialized from nowhere, swinging a tree branch fiercely at the horse's chest. The beast was struck and lurched forward, emitted a piercing cry of pain and surprise. Unable to brace himself, Joris careened frontwards, slamming into the horse's neck before falling sideways off its back.

Hitting the ground and instinctively rolling away, Joris missed being crushed by the animal by mere feet as, legs flailing, it crumpled to the ground beside him.

"Well, well, well…looks like I bagged me a soldier."

Joris leapt to his feet as a man approached him from the other side of the horse, in one hand carrying a tree branch about four feet long and three inches in diameter. Staring down his crooked nose at Joris, he barked a laugh.

"Must be my lucky night."

The captain shuffled back, putting about ten feet of distance between him and his opponent before getting into a defensive position. This was the second time in one night that he had been ambushed without warning, and Joris was beginning to seethe. He didn't have time for this.

The horse, meanwhile, thrashed about then stumbled up, trying to find its footing. Back on all fours, it frantically lurched away and was soon bolting down the path as Joris looked on, cursing his attacker for the loss of transportation.

Fists raised and body angled, the captain narrowed his eyes at the man. Sizing him up from his small, beady eyes to his rough face and dirty, frayed clothing, there was no question in Joris's mind who he was: the fourth thief.

"Where is Anna?" he snapped. Joris looked around him quickly, hoping to see either her or the fifth man.

The thief smiled. "She's with the boss, getting…" he paused, humming and hawing over his next words. "…better acquainted." As Joris clenched his teeth, the man glanced behind him as if expecting to see someone else. "How'd those three idiots manage to let you get away?" he mumbled to himself, sure that this was the only explanation.

"It was hard for them to do much else, face down in the snow," Joris spat.

The smirk on his opponent's face was wiped clean as he caught the meaning behind the words. His eyes narrowed. "That so?"

The man tapped the branch against his shoulder, bristling. "In that case…the boss didn't say anything about _not _roughing you up a bit first, so…" he gripped the branch with both hands and gave it a threatening swing. "How's about I give you a few bruises?"

Now it was Joris's turn to smile. This man had no idea who he was dealing with. Either that, or he was too overconfident and incensed to care.

Pulling out Ton's knife, he held the blade in front of him so his opponent could clearly see it. "I give you fair warning," Joris said calmly. "The odds are not in your favour." Extending his free hand, he made a _come at me_ gesture. "But I invite you to try, if you must."

Spurred on by the challenge, the fool charged at him.

* * *

Sven burst through a snow bank, the four wolves in hot pursuit.

Kristoff could hear them snarling, snapping their teeth, trying to get close enough to sink their jaws into the reindeer's flank. Drawing the sword in his right hand, he turned and swung at one just as it leapt, paws raised. Steel met underbelly, and there was a high-pitched yelp paired with a spray of blood.

_One down, three to go._

But now that he had drawn the sword, it meant only having one hand free to hold onto Sven. Leaning forward as far as he could, Kristoff tried to lower his center of gravity, praying he'd be able to hang on. They needed a way to lose these wolves – fast.

As he wracked his brain for an answer and Sven thundered forward, a noise started to rise above the sound of clamoring feet and growling predators. It was the rushing and tumbling and crashing sound of water.

Kristoff's eyes lit up with his solution. _A waterfall._

From his left, one of the wolves ran up close beside him and tried to go for his leg. He snapped his foot up and nailed it hard in the muzzle. The animal fell back with a yelp, but Kristoff doubted the kick did more than slow it down.

Turning his attention forward, he squinted through the darkness ahead and just made out what looked to be a fifteen foot wide offshoot of the lake, churning rapidly through the trees beyond. It was hard to tell, but as the moonlight glinted off the water, Kristoff got the impression that it was moving too fast to try and safely swim across. A point in his favour.

It was risky, but Kristoff was confident that Sven could jump them both across to the narrow, rocky-looking embankment on the other side. The wolves wouldn't dare follow, and if they were crazy enough to try, they'd either fall victim to the rushing stream or Kristoff would pick them off one by one with the sword.

He tightened his grip on Sven's mane, relieved to finally have a plan.

"Okay, buddy," Kristoff warned as they drew closer to the stream. "Get ready to jump."

Charging forward, Sven broke through the tree line a few seconds later. The terrain changed instantly from bumpy earth to smooth, snowy rock as he galloped towards the water.

With only a few strides to go, there was a snarling bark, and Kristoff turned again to his left just in time to see to a wolf flying towards his shoulder. Releasing his grip and throwing up his forearm to protect his neck, the beast's full weight knocked him sideways in the same instant Sven made his jump.

Kristoff hit the ground with the wolf practically on top of him, paws on his chest, pinning him down. Right arm still free, he lifted the sword above his head and slashed it downwards, just as the animal lunged for his jugular. The blade cut down to the bone in the wolf's thick neck and it jolted with a gurgled yelp. Careening backwards, blood spurted from the gash in a pulsing beat, turning the snowy landscape red.

Kristoff sprang to his feet, the sound of the falls and his own hammering heart crashing in his ears. He spun so that his back was to the water, limiting the number of directions he could be attacked from.

To his left he saw the fatally injured wolf crumple to its side in a growing pool of blood. To his right, a second wolf was growling and closing in on him. But where was the third? Sword raised, Kristoff dared a quick glance over his shoulder, just in time to see the beast thrash helplessly in the rushing stream before going over the edge. It must have tried jumping after Sven.

Adrenaline coursing through his veins, Kristoff stared down the final wolf.

_One more, Anna. One more and I'm coming back._

The beast growled at him, teeth bared and ears flat. It must have been smarter than the others because it didn't try to simply lunge forward. Instead, it approached slowly, stalking Kristoff, forcing him to step back.

Kristoff swiped the blade, but the wolf was just out of range, wisely keeping its distance. It seemed to be trying to back him up into the water itself and if he didn't stand his ground or move in another direction, that was exactly what would happen.

Gripping the sword tightly in both hands, the handle sticky with his blood, Kristoff made a decision. He took a step to the left, intending on putting them both parallel with the rushing stream. But his plan quickly changed when his foot landed on a patch of ice, and skidded out from under him. As he crashed to his knees, the wolf sensed the advantage and immediately pounced. With a cry, Kristoff plunged the sword forward as the wolf bore down on him, knocking him on his back.

Then there was nothing but the sound of the roaring falls.

Kristoff was breathing hard, looking up at the wolf as it lay dead on top of him.

The blade had gone right through it.

Heaving the animal's massive body off his own, Kristoff tried to catch his breath as he stood on shaking legs and surveyed the damage. Two dead wolves. Dark pools and splatters of red all around him. It was a mess. A mess of blood. And too much of that blood belonged to him.

Pressing a hand over the throbbing, burning wound at his torso, Kristoff recalled something Joris had yelled at him about strenuous activity and blood loss_._

_This is not good_, he thought grimly_._

But Anna needed him, and there was no time.

Pushing everything else from his mind, Kristoff turned to Sven, who was pawing anxiously at the ground from the other side of the stream. "Okay, buddy," Kristoff called, over the roar of the falls. "Let's go."

But Sven continued to paw at the ground, whinnying, with a look of panic on his face.

Kristoff was instantly on alert. "What it is?" He looked around him, but saw nothing of danger. "What's wrong?"

Sven shook his head, barked, motioned around him, and nodded to his feet. He was trying to get Kristoff to notice something; something important about the embankment he was standing on.

It took Kristoff a few seconds, but slowly he realized the problem: the embankment itself. He had seen during their approach that the space on the other side of the rushing stream was narrow, but he had somehow grossly miscalculated just how narrow it was. There was barely nine feet from the churning water, past Sven, to where the ground just gave away into nothingness. The fact that Sven's jump hadn't caused him to fall straight into that nothingness was actually nothing short of a miracle. And now there was not enough space for him to jump back. Not enough room to get that momentum he'd need to once again cross over. Even if he backed up to the very edge, any jump Sven attempted would land him in the water, and he would very quickly be swept right over the falls. The reindeer would need double the space to make it clean across, at the very barest minimum.

A sinking feeling began to form in Kristoff's stomach as he met his friend's worried eyes and they simultaneously turned their heads upstream. Searching in the darkness, each looked hard to see where the embankment grew wider. Maybe in the daytime it would have been an easier job, but with nothing but moonlight and stars to give them light, it was impossible to tell.

The sinking feeling in Kristoff's stomach turned into a hard knot of dread as he realized what it all meant. Sharing a look with Sven, he knew the reindeer had come to the same conclusion because he jerked his head towards the woods with an apology on his face: _start running._

This was really, really not good.

It was lucky Kristoff was still riding his adrenaline high - he was going to need every ounce of it.

"I'll come back for you, buddy," he called, tucking the sword into his woven belt. "I promise." And with that, the ice harvester spun on his heels and broke out in a run.


	11. The Well

**A/N: Hi, friends! Sorry this took longer than expected. There were a lot of moving pieces in this chapter to work out and sort through. Thanks to everyone who hoped I'd feel better soon. I do, and I appreciate the love :)**

**A big shout out to WitchesBrew2, who spent New Years and her birthday sick! Hope you're feeling better! Consider this a very belated birthday present. **

**Frozen isn't mine, but Sem is. And that's kind of scary.**

* * *

Kristoff pushed and stumbled through the trees. His heart pounded faster than he could gasp for chilled air, and every inhale felt like swallowing a million frozen needles. After sprinting for what must have been eternity, his adrenaline kick was tapping out.

Run.

His hand was pressed tight against the gash on his torso in an attempt to clot the flow of blood. He had to keep pressure there and didn't dare move his hand away. No thanks to the physical strain his body was under, the blood was still soaking through his glove, onto his skin.

Run.

Kristoff couldn't deny that he was reaching his limit. His muscles screamed for him rest, but as much as he wanted to, as far as he had already come, he had to keep going. He had to keep his legs pumping. Anna needed him, and the ghost of her voice was trapped in his head, screaming his name.

Run.

Kristoff forced himself onwards, edging closer to his collapsing point. He could feel his last reserves of energy being expelled with every jagged, frosted exhale.

Run.

Holding out, he sensed that he was getting close. Kristoff saw Anna's smiling face in his mind, beaming up at him. And he saw the well.

Then a sharp _thunk!_ of weapon against wood cut through the night and he drew his sword, cursing.

_Run._

* * *

Anna clung to the tree as it reverberated from another strike. Sem had gone back to cutting it down.

Cocking a playful eyebrow up at her, he reared the sword back for another hit. "So, sweetheart…"

_THUNK._

"How much longer…"

_THUNK._

"…do you think my boys will be…"

_THUNK._

"…with your soldier?"

_THUNK._

"Sure seem to be taking…"

_THUNK._

"…their time, don't they?"

_THUNK._

Sem paused. Wiggling the embedded sword from the two-inch deep gouge he'd hacked into the trunk, he gave a smirk. "Guess I overestimated his willingness to come along quietly. Just hope Ton didn't get carried away. You remember him? He's the one that gave you that nice little nick on your throat…?"

Anna gave no reply.

"They won't like me when they get back," he rattled on. Sem freed the sword and began to casually study the damage he had done to the blade. "My tubby boy was looking forward to cracking into the food you said you brought in the sled. When I tell them to turn around and get your ice harvester, it'll break his chubby little heart…"

* * *

When the cutting stopped, so did Kristoff. He was so close. He was _so close._ Lungs burning as he gasped for air, Kristoff scanned the forest looking for whatever could have been making the noise. Then, he spotted something through the trees that made his heart pound even faster. There was a man - a tall, thin man standing at Kristoff's 10:00 o'clock, no more than twenty feet away. He was standing in front of a tree, examining a sword in his hand – Joris's sword – and talking. After a moment, he looked up at something in the tree in front of him.

Heart pounding, Kristoff followed the man's gaze up the tree, and what he saw made him gasp. Twenty feet straight up, sitting on a tree branch and clinging to the trunk, was Anna.

Kristoff couldn't breathe. He couldn't think as he looked from her back to the man holding the sword. The chopping sounds. Anna's scream. Everything fell into place in one sick moment that, despite his exhaustion, revved Kristoff right back up. The bastard had been cutting down the tree with her _in it._

Kristoff charged. _"GET AWAY FROM HER!" _He swung his sword wildly at the man, who snapped his head over in surprise as Kristoff barreled towards him. "_GET THE HELL AWAY FROM HER!"_

With a few seconds to react, the thief sidestepped away with surprising agility from Kristoff's attempt to cleave him in half, and the sword slashed harmlessly through the air with an empty _whoosh._ Kristoff heard Anna shriek in surprise. He lunged again, but once more cut through nothingness. The man had nimbly danced back, out of reach.

Cursing, the ice harvester was about make a third attempt when a single noise ripped through the air.

"_KRISTOFF!" _

It was Anna. And her voice was so full of fear and pain that the sound of it froze the blood in Kristoff's veins.

Panicked, he forgot about attacking his opponent and threw himself at the tree. "Oh, God. Anna, what is it?" Kristoff's words tumbled out as his hand clawed at the bark and his eyes raked over her small form. "Are you hurt? Did he hurt you?"

"No, no I…I'm not hurt. I'm okay," Anna strained in answer, barely holding back a current of terror. Her eyes were wide with fright. She looked at Kristoff in shocked bewilderment, then tore her gaze away and stared at the tall man who stood casually by, surveying the entire scene with an appearance of cool, curious amusement.

Something about the man must have terrified her, because when Anna looked back at Kristoff, he could tell even in the moonlit darkness than her face was pale. Kristoff clenched his fist around the sword's handle, furious.

Anna opened her mouth to speak. "Kristoff…" He had to strain to hear her, because her voice was nothing more than a hoarse whisper. "You have to leave."

Shocked by her words, Kristoff stared up at her in disbelief. "Wh-_What?_"A vision of the well flashed through his mind, and he was about to tell Anna that there was no way in hell he was going anywhere, when the tall stranger interrupted.

"Kristoff!" Spreading his lanky arms wide, it looked like he was heralding an old friend. "Kristoff the ice harvester! It's really you!"

Blood boiling, Kristoff moved protectively so that he stood between the tree Anna was in and the man with the sword. His own sword raised, Kristoff glared, wondering what the greasy beanpole could have done or said that had made Anna so afraid of him. Then, like a whisper from a nightmare, Ton's malicious, taunting voice floated through his head.

_He's not the gentle type. _

_He plays with his food before he eats it._

_He's going to break her. _

_She doesn't stand a chance._

Oh, no…

Kristoff gripped the sword handle so tightly, his knuckles went white. "Are you Sem?_" _he spat, biting back rage.

"Glad you could make it," the man continued, unperturbed. His eyes flashed over Kristoff, studying him like some fascinating puzzle. "Saved me the trouble of sending you an invitation."

"_Are you Sem?"_

"How're you liking my old sword, Kristoff the ice harvester? I take it the solider high-tailed it over to the lake after all and told you his woes. No wonder none of my boys have come back yet – they can't find the coward." His eyes flashed with a held back violence, daring Kristoff to make a move.

"_ANSWER ME!"_

The man gave a slow, cocky smile, clearly enjoying how easy it was to rile Kristoff up. "In the flesh," he said with an extravagant bow.

Kristoff's stomach turned as he realized the man was deliberately toying with him. The guy really did enjoy messing with people, and it was clear now that he had been messing with Anna. Starting to see red, Kristoff wondered exactly how Sem had tormented her.

"Please, Kristoff…" It was Anna, and her brittle voice cracked with fear. "Please go."

His heart pounded in fury and Kristoff's words were razor sharp. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't _kill_ you where you stand."

Sem had the gall to laugh. "That supposed to be a threat?" He eyed Kristoff with amusement, as if he was facing down a small child instead of a hulking man. "How're _you _standing, exactly? Look at yourself in the mirror, lately? You're dead on your feet."

Kristoff growled as he clenched the sword in both fists. How had Sem known? Was it because there was the smallest slump in his shoulders? Was it the way his arms twitched from holding up the heavy weapon? Kristoff stood straight, determined to not be toyed with again. He was almost twice Sem's size in muscle, and they were matched blade for blade. As long as his strength held out just a little longer and Sem didn't find out about the gash in his side, Kristoff had the advantage. It didn't even matter that he'd never used a sword before in his life, because after managing to kill three wolves, it was like swinging an ice pick – and _that _Kristoff was very good at. He just needed to get in one good shot, and…

There was a noise above him, and even though he had his back to her, Kristoff didn't even have to look to know what was happening: Anna was starting to climb back down the tree. "What are you doing…?" he called up suspiciously.

A buried memory of the princess throwing herself between Han's sword and her sister flashed through Kristoff's mind.

_Hell_ no. Not this time.

"Anna," Kristoff said firmly, not taking his eyes off the smirking thief. "You stay up there until I finish with this guy, okay? It won't take long." He wasn't going to let Sem, with his sword, anywhere near her. "Everything's going to be fine, but I need you to do that for me."

"No, Kristoff. Please. You don't understand." Anna's voice was almost an octave higher. "Sem wants to hurt you. That's his _plan. _You shouldn't have come! He wants to hurt you to punish me for running away!"

Stunned, the ice harvester suddenly wondered if this was partly how Sem had been tormenting her; using him as a pawn in some twisted game. And now, in Anna's eyes, Kristoff had appeared out of the blue to bring Sem's words to life. No wonder she was so upset. She not only believed that he was actually going to lose this fight, but that she'd be forced to _watch _him lose.

The sick, sick, bastard. He was going to break Sem in half.

"Please, Kristoff, just - just go!" Anna continued, her stress and fear seeping through. "I don't want you getting hurt!"

Kristoff thought about the gash just below his ribs. Unconsciously, he moved his left elbow in closer to his body to hide the wound from Sem. He saw the well again in his mind. "I'm not going to get hurt, and I'm not leaving you."

The thief's eyes darted to Kristoff's chest, picking up on the subtle repositioning. "Not going to get hurt, hmmm?" He studied him for a moment, then motioned with mock innocence to his own chest – a spot on his left, just below the ribs. "Everything all right, there?" Sem teased.

Swallowing a curse, Kristoff felt his advantage slip as he wondered just how noticeable the dark circle on his black tunic was at night. He couldn't let Sem find out that it was a blood stain. _His _blood stain.

"Kristoff…?" Anna's voice was paper thin. "What's he talking about…?" Of course, she couldn't see.

Kristoff heard her move again from above him and practically yelled at her. "It's nothing, everything's fine. Just _stay – up – there!_"

"Nothing, huh?" Sem breathed, eyeing Anna knowingly. "Whole lot of _nothings _and _no ones _going on tonight. We'll come back to that. Meantime, you should listen to the ice harvester, sweetheart. Just sit tight."

Kristoff's nostrils flared. _Sweetheart?_ "_Don't _call her that," he growled darkly.

Sem continued on as if Kristoff hadn't spoken. "Better view if you stay up there. I'm going to give you a good show - gotta have a good seat, too."

Anna shrilly protested and Kristoff had to fight back the urge to hurl his sword at Sem's head. "Those are some big words coming from a stick like you," he snapped. Flexing his muscles with intimidation, he stared the man down. "What makes you think you've got any chance of winning this?"

Sem dropped his gaze to Kristoff with a look of haughty disdain. "You mean besides the fact that you're already half dead? Besides your '_nothing'_?" he teased ruthlessly. "I like the bravado, but it's _skill. _Skill - not strength - that wins these fights." He eyed him again, as if judging his posture. "And let me guess – this is the first time you've picked up a sword. Your stance is all wrong, Kristoff the ice harvester…" Sem smiled at Kristoff, but it was the smile of a wolf closing in on his prey.

"Kristoff," Anna sounded close to tears. He could tell she was on the move again. "Please…don't do this. Don't try and fight him. I don't want to watch him hurt you. Don't make me watch. Just go. _Please _go."

Stifling a moan, Kristoff felt his heart breaking. As if she wasn't scared enough…

"Anna…" Kristoff's voice was as calm and warm as he could manage, even though every muscle in his body wanted to tear Sem limb from limb. "Anna I _promise _it's going to be fine. He's not going to hurt me, but I need you to stay up there until it's safe to come down, okay? It's like what Elsa said back in November. Remember that? How she said I wouldn't be able to concentrate on the ice if I was worried about making sure you were safe? It's the same thing here. I'll be fine, as long as I know you're safe." He eyed Sem, and directed his next comment at him. "Besides, he's just saying all that to upset you. What does a _thief _know about skill and proper stance?"

Sem, who had watched the whole exchange in amused silence, slowly cocked his head to the side and went very still. There was a pause, and his eyes filled with something dark and taunting and full of blood-soaked history. Then he opened his mouth and his words were a violent whisper on a half smile. "Not all of us are_ born _thieves, you know."

That brought Kristoff up short, and for a fleeting instant he wondered if the fight ahead would actually end with his victory.

Then the moment passed, and Kristoff tensed for battle. "You don't scare me."

"Don't worry, we'll work up to that," Sem murmured, and lunged forward.

Kristoff heard Anna shriek as the blade came at him, and he reacted on instinct; stepping forward and thrusting the sword in front of him.

Sem swooped his own weapon down, and their blades collided with a clang. Locked together and arcing up in a wide circle, Sem capitalized on the momentum as the swords swooped downwards by flicking his hand hard to the left. The weapons disengaged as Kristoff veered left from Sem's redirection and with Kristoff's entire right side exposed as he careened sideways, Sem stepped forward and gave a backhanded swing, catching Kristoff's shoulder with the tip of his blade.

Kristoff regained his balance, feeling his weary legs protest, and his hand flew up to cover the new injury. Slashing as he spun to face Sem, he cut through nothing but night air as the man danced back. Replanting himself between his adversary and the tree, Kristoff growled as Anna screamed down at him in panic.

Glancing at his shoulder, Kristoff registered that the cut stung, but it wasn't bad. Maybe Sem did have a little sword experience, but Kristoff was sure that the hit had been mostly luck. "It's okay! I'm fine!" he called back, snarling at Sem. "He barely got me – it's just a graze."

"You say 'barely' like I was fortunate to get you at all." Sem looked half insulted, half amused, as if he was holding back some great secret. "_Skill, _Kristoff the ice harvester. _Skill._" He gave Anna an arrogant smirk and Kristoff fumed. "First blood goes to me. You like that, sweetheart?"

"_I said don't call her that!_" Charging, Kristoff raised his sword high and slashed downwards, aiming for Sem's head.

The man brought up his own weapon to block, but angled the point downward and to the right. There was a clang and scrape of steel as Kristoff's blade was deflected and slid harmlessly down Sem's weapon. Kristoff pitched forward as his momentum was redirected again, this time exposing his entire left side. Sidestepping, Sem flicked the hilt of the weapon up and slammed Kristoff in his left shoulder with the metal pommel.

Reeling sideways from the blow, Kristoff managed to catch his balance before falling. The entire length of his arm was numb.

"_Kristoff!" _Anna shrieked from above. "_Kristoff!"_

"I'm okay," he lied. His voice was strained more with anger than pain as he retreated back to the tree, keeping Sem in his sights.

"_Stop it! Please just stop it!"_ she screamed at them both.

Willing his tired body on, Kristoff shook his dead arm and prayed the feeling would soon return to his fingers. He hadn't even come close to hitting Sem, and was starting to understand what the thief meant by skill being more important than strength. What was more, when Kristoff thought back to how his sides had been exposed, he got the horrible suspicion that Sem was actually going easy on him.

_He wants to give Anna a show_, Kristoff realized with sudden dread. And she was getting one.

His confidence faltering, Kristoff gave a quick glance around him. Where on earth was Joris? He was the trained swordfighter, and would make mincemeat of this guy without breaking a sweat. What was taking him so long to find them?

Sem raised his weapon with experienced form and began to stride towards Kristoff. "Now, about that 'nothing'…"

Kristoff hesitated, and Sem chopping downwards at his head. The ice harvester jerked his sword upwards, and the moment their weapons clanged in a T, Sem reared his foot up and kicked Kristoff hard – right where his gash was.

Crying out, Kristoff fell backward against the tree and doubled over, clamping his numb arm around his chest. He could hear Anna screaming in panic at Sem. Her voice was getting even closer as she climbed her way down.

Kristoff's heart pounded in his chest as he saw the well again, pulling him towards it. "Anna…" he bit out through the searing pain. "Stay up there…" Body protesting, Kristoff slowly righted himself and watched in horror as Sem very deliberately studying his own boot print in the snow. It was red with fresh blood.

"Well…well…well…" Sem drawled, looking over at Kristoff with a wicked grin. "It was a 'something' after all."

Kristoff felt a chill go through him, and he knew in that instant the tables had irrevocably been turned.

Where the _hell _was Joris?

Anna must have seen the blood as well, because she was screaming; completely hysterical. "_You __LIED to me!_ _Why did you LIE to me?! Why aren't you LEAVING?!"_

At her questions, Kristoff sensed himself being brought to the edge of the well, and he felt himself staring down into the darkness below.

Sem, so sure of his victory, assumed an attack position and waited. "Enough with the appetizer. Let's get to the main course."

This was it. The entire, terrifying, infuriating night - everything had boiled down to this moment.

Taking a deep breath, Kristoff paused to turn his head up and look at Anna's frantic, stricken face as she pleaded with him to abandon her and save himself. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "But I can't."

"You ready, Kristoff the ice harvester?" Sem asked.

Bitterly determined, Kristoff faced Sem and stepped forward. "Yes."


End file.
